Parental Obligations
by best thing since cookies
Summary: SEQUEL TO LESS THAN GRACEFUL. Lindsay gets some unexpected visitors. romance humor angst action adventure...it has it all. DL MS
1. Prologue

**Parental Obligations: Prologue**

The dark and shady man slipped into Jimmy Lloyd's apartment, making no sound at all. He was shocked and appalled at what he saw inside. "What the hell are you doing?"

Jimmy stood up and away from the young girl he had previously been making out with. She couldn't have been more than fourteen or fifteen. "Hey," Jimmy said nervously. "What are you doing here?"

The man looked at the young girl, his stomach flipping at how young and innocent she was. "Get out," he barked. The girl fled, leaving Jimmy to the man. "What were you doing Jimmy?"

Jimmy gulped. "Boss, it's not what it looks like." The boss had zero tolerance for Jimmy's taste for young girls.

"I think it is, Jimmy," the man said pleasantly, lighting a cigarette. Anything to get the taste of bile out of his mouth. That girl that _Jimmy_ had just been feeling up on the couch was about the same age as his little girl. "Jimmy, have I ever told you about my girls?"

"Yes, sir, boss," Jimmy said, putting his shaking hands in his pockets.

The man continued as if Jimmy hadn't spoken. "I met this fine woman when she was pregnant. She already had a daughter and had another one on the way. The father couldn't be bothered to stick around. The older one was straight from hell, I swear. That didn't stop me from treating her as my own. Now her mom left me, but she would be about thirteen now."

Jimmy gulped. "Yes, sir." He backed away with wide eyes when he saw the gun.

"That girl was just a baby." Nothing was heard except the sound of Jimmy's body dropping to the floor.

Mac and Stella stepped into the apartment only to be met with the smell of decomposing flesh. Just what you wanted to smell first thing in the morning.

"Neighbor called it in when she noticed the smell," Flack said, glancing at his notebook. "Name's James Lloyd. Thirty-two. Served time for grand theft auto, possession with intent, and assault. Had charges brought up against him several times for statutory rape. Slippery bastard always managed to wiggle out of them."

"Wiggle?" Stella asked skeptically as she started to photograph the body.

"It's early," Flack said defensively. "I'm not even sure if I'm awake right now."

"Coffee?"

"Didn't get a chance to stop," Flack said glumly.

"Tell you what," Stella said with a wide smile, "After we wrap this case up, I'll buy you a cup of coffee."

Unfortunately for Flack, he didn't get a chance to collect on that deal because they didn't have any evidence connecting anyone to the crime. The gun used was stolen and the silencer home made. No one saw or heard anything. Jimmy wasn't on speaking terms with his neighbors and usually didn't leave his apartment until after normal people were sleeping.

The folder was added to Mac's pile at the corner of his desk.

TBC...


	2. 1 Of Children and Attitude

**A/N: Hello to all! Grace is NOT the leading role in this story, but she is definitely going to be there through just about everything. So you fell in love with her, maybe you'll fall in love with Lindsay's "guests". Read on. BTW, the reviews for LTG were great. I love you all and hope that this story lives up to your standards**

**Parental Obligations: Of Children and Attitude**

Mac was headed to a crime scene with Danny when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID. It was Lindsay. Since him and Stella had pulled an all nighter, she'd taken Grace for the night. "Taylor," he answered pleasantly.

"Umm," Lindsay said. "I'm uh sick."

Mac paused, his mind racing through the possible reasons she could be lying to him. There were so many involving a hurt Grace. Her muffled laugh caused him a little confusion. "What's going on?" he demanded crossly.

Lindsay cleared her throat, realizing that laughing into the phone probably wasn't the best way to convince your boss that you were sick. She was a terrible liar. "Okay, I'm not really sick," she admitted. "I need the day off."

Mac nodded even though she couldn't see him. "I appreciate you telling the truth," he said in a tone that told her that he didn't appreciate her attempt at lying. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," Lindsay muttered, feeling like she was talking to a disappointed parent. "I'll take Grace to her last day of school and pick her up. I--I'll explain everything later, okay?"

She hung up before Mac could really respond. She looked at the three girls seated on her couch. "Grace," she said. "Go get dressed. I need to talk to your new friends alone."

Grace looked up at Lindsay with wide eyes. The older woman looked positively furious. "Are you going to yell at them?" she asked with wide eyes. "Yelling isn't fun _at all_."

Lindsay couldn't help but smile. "I might yell at them," she said truthfully, "but they deserve it." She spared them a brief, furious look before crouching down to Grace's level. "It's your last day. Go get dressed so you won't be late."

Grace reluctantly went into Lindsay's bedroom and got her new dress off the hanger. It was picked special for the last day of school.

Lindsay studied the girls sitting on the couch. The older one, a teenager with a bad attitude, had light brown hair that was twisted up in a messy bun. Her light brown eyes were closed as she prepared herself for the yelling that was bound to come. Her posture screamed 'I don't care!' and the frown that marred her beautiful, innocent face showed just how unhappy she was.

The younger one was very small. Her long hair was a darker brown that the older girl's and it was French braided into two long braids. Her eyes, also darker brown than the older girl's, were studying her shoes very intently. She was sitting there, her hands playing with her braids, a shy, almost scared look on her face.

Lindsay opted to yell at them later. "I missed you two so much," she said sincerely, looking at her two daughters.

"Whatever." Elizabeth Monroe stood up and stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door.

"Sister's mad," Samantha said sadly.

"I know," Lindsay said.

Grace came out of the bedroom with her shoes in her hand and her backpack on her back. "I don't want to wear these," she announced loudly in a voice that expressed her dislike for the cutesy dress shoes that went along with the dress.

Samantha was a little afraid of the forward girl. She was a very shy girl, and Grace was the kind of person who would get along with anyone at any given moment. Samantha had to take the time to get used to people.

"Wear your tennis shoes," Lindsay said.

Grace was positively delighted by the idea. "That'll be great!" she squealed. "I can look pretty and still run!" She pumped her arm to what she considered a victory and went to get her shoes.

Lindsay noticed Elizabeth standing in the bathroom doorway. She thought about when she answered the door no more than thirty minutes earlier to receive quite a shock.

_"Hey mom," Elizabeth said flatly. "How are you? All well, I hope. I'm terribly sorry to bother you, but these bags are heavy."_

_Samantha timidly smiled up at her mom. "Hi, mommy," she said in a small voice._

_Lindsay bent over and picked her baby daughter up. "What are you two doing here?" she asked as she hugged Samantha close._

_"Yeah," Elizabeth said, dumping their bags right inside the door. "It's nice to see you too."_

_Even though she was still angry with her mother, she couldn't resist the hug that was being offered. It felt so good to be back in her arms. "I'm going to kill you," Lindsay whispered, the tears in her voice obvious._

_Elizabeth pulled away and wrapped her arms around herself. "So..."_

_"Hi!" Grace said cheerfully, wearing her pink Barbie nightgown. "I'm Grace."_

_"Hmm," Elizabeth said, looking down at the little girl. "Looks like we've been replaced, Sam."_

_"Elizabeth!" Lindsay scolded._

_Grace proceeded to talk, completely unfazed by the lack of response and the fear on Samantha's face._

_Elizabeth looked over at her mother. "Babysitting? There are better ways to go back to your teenage days."_

_Lindsay sighed and placed Samantha on the couch. "Sit," she ordered firmly. "I have to make a phone call." She needed some time alone with her kids. To catch up, to yell at them, and to clear the air. She knew they weren't going to make it easy on her._

"I have to take Grace to school," Lindsay said. "Do you want to stay here or come with?"

"Come with," Samantha said in a small voice. Elizabeth nodded her agreement, not meeting her mother's eyes.

"Great," Grace said. "Come on. I can show you my school. I'm going to be in the second grade next year!" She was wiggling with excitement.

Even Elizabeth had to smile at that.

**TBC... Considering I'm almost done with the next chapter, I think I'm making pretty good time. It's going to be a fun story...I can tell**


	3. Of Cheating and Purple Duck Pajamas

**A/N: People! You have no faith! Danny isn't their father...he's only known Lindsay for a short while! This is set a couple of months after the end of Less Than Graceful. We all know Lindsay has some kind of secret so I ask you...why not kids? This is a product OF MY IMAGINATION. BTW, in this fic, Lindsay is 29...hehe**

**Of Cheating and Purple Duck Pajamas**

After dropping Grace off at school, Lindsay drove back to her apartment, lost in her own thoughts as she allowed Elizabeth to switch from station to station on the radio, finally leaving it on a satisfactory station.

She didn't understand how the girls had managed to get past the strict rules of the Monroes long enough to even plan a trip to New York. But she knew if anyone could do it, Elizabeth could.

Elizabeth watched all the tall buildings and all the people and tried not to show how amazed she was. She felt like a foreigner, like someone would see her riding by in the slow moving traffic and just know that she wasn't from there. "Mom," she said, turning down the radio. "How come you didn't bring us when you came here?"

Lindsay tensed, feeling a deep sense of guilt for leaving her daughters with her parents while she went off to her dream job. "It's complicated, Lizzy," she said after a moment's hesitation.

Elizabeth nodded and swallowed as tears pricked her eyes. All her life, her mom had told her everything, good or bad. Up until nearly a year earlier, when, in the middle of the night, she announced that she had a new job and that they needed to leave. It was a situation where Elizabeth did what she was told without asking questions, which was so unlike her. It was just something in her mom's eyes. Then, they went to Monroe farm, Lindsay's parents' place. Elizabeth had tried really hard not to ask too many questions, but when Lindsay explained that she was going to New York and they weren't, her mind filled almost to bursting with questions. Not one was asked. She was too busy being angry at her mom and comforting her sister.

"We're here," Lindsay announced quietly.

Elizabeth looked into the backseat and smiled at the sight of her little sister sleeping. "I'll get her," she said quietly.

Lindsay put her hand on her arm. "How 'bout you get her next time?" she suggested.

Elizabeth avoided looking directly into her mom's eyes. She knew the sadness she would see, the apologies she wasn't ready for. "Whatever."

Lindsay groaned as Elizabeth forcefully pushed the door open and slammed it behind her. It was a good thing Sam was a deep sleeper. She sighed and got out of the car, shutting the door behind her and immediately opening the back door. She stood there for a few minutes looking down at Sam. She was curled up in a ball, her face pressing into her knees. "Come on, baby girl," Lindsay said, scooping Sam up.

Elizabeth was leaning against the wall beside Lindsay's door. She took the keys from Lindsay and opened the door. She immediately looked through the fridge upon entering. "Are you kidding me?" she said. There wasn't much in the fridge. Mainly leftover pizza and a few beers. She briefly considered shocking her mom by downing one of the beers, but decided the murder that would occur afterwards wasn't worth it.

Sighing, Elizabeth shut the door and watched her mom lay Sam down on the couch and cover her with a blanket. She turned away from the sweet scene with a roll of her eyes. "Mom, I'm hungry."

"There's some leftover pizza in the fridge," Lindsay said, standing up.

Elizabeth made a face. "I was thinking something along the lines of breakfast food..."

Lindsay gave her an apologetic look. "I don't really have anything else, but if you'll stay here with your sister, I'll run to the store down at the corner and get something."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I'll just eat the pizza," she grumbled.

Lindsay sighed and went into her room to scream into a pillow. She forgot how frustrating it was to be on the receiving end of Elizabeth's bad attitude. She plopped down on the bed and decided against actually screaming. Instead, she just laid there.

"So," Elizabeth said around her mouthful of pizza. "Let's talk about everything that happened since you abandoned us at the GPs' house."

"Lizzy--"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," she interrupted. "I just want to talk without the interrogation. I just want to _talk_."

"What are you talking about?" Lindsay said as Elizabeth sat down by her head. "We talked on the phone everyday up until a few weeks ago...Did something happen since then?"

"_No_!" Elizabeth gritted out. Then she sighed. "Look, I just want to talk...mainly because I'm bored...tell me who Grace is."

"I'm pretty sure I already did," Lindsay said, giving Elizabeth a strange look. "In all my emails for the past few months, I think there have been some mention of Grace."

"Oh yeah," Elizabeth said thoughtfully. "The first thing I was planning on doing when I got here was check my email. Haven't checked it since Christmas."

Lindsay was shocked to say the least. Elizabeth without her computer was like cake without icing or chocolate chip cookies without chocolate chips. Lindsay's stomach growled and she mentally rolled her eyes. Why couldn't she have chosen a different analogy? "Why?"

"Well. Papa thinks I'm a spoiled brat, and I _might_ have done...a lot of things to prove him right."

"What did you do to my dad?" Lindsay asked suspiciously.

"I almost blew up his favorite cow, I stopped him from killing that dang pig in front of me, I protested _loudly_ when he tried to feed me meat from said pig, and...a lot of other things... Oh yeah, and I failed the seventh grade."

The blood drained from Lindsay's face. "You failed!" she asked, sitting up. Elizabeth had always been the top in her class. She didn't study, didn't read a lot, didn't do any extra work...she was just really smart.

"Yep. I didn't turn in any homework at all the entire year," Elizabeth said proudly. The truth was, it hurt not to do her homework. Contrary to popular belief, she did actually like the praises she got for her good work.

Hearing the kids at her new school talk about how much she showed off with her A+ grades and her ability to answer every question off the top of her head affected her more than she let on. She just stopped doing her work and faded into the background. She went to a private school in a large town about ten miles from where her grandparents lived. She was a loner and liked it that way. People in that town tended to be hypocritical and judgmental. She was a unique individual that refused to conform to their evil pod people ways.

"Elizabeth," Lindsay said firmly, preparing herself for the inevitable shouting match.

"No, mom," Elizabeth said softly. "I wasn't allowed to tell you _anything_ that happened at Nana and Papa's so you don't know enough of the story to yell at me."

"What do you mean?" Lindsay asked worriedly. She quelled the urge to yell and sat silently, waiting for Elizabeth to explain.

"Me and Sam were not to tell you anything that would put any unnecessary strain or worry on you. We were to tell about simple things, not about every hellish thing we did. Not about the blue poodle or the jello pool or about the cock fight."

"Cock fight!"

"Just kidding about that part," Elizabeth said impishly. Then she turned serious again. "Nana was insane. She acted like you would break if we told you anything about anything. I couldn't even tell you about the stable boy!" She grinned at her mom. "He was the best thing that ever could've happened out there in the middle of a frickin field with all those animals."

Lindsay groaned and buried her face in her hands. "What did you do?" she asked, peeking at her through her fingers.

Elizabeth wiggled her eyebrows. "That's not important. Right now, I have to tell you..." She beamed proudly. "Sammy broke some kid's nose."

Lindsay closed her eyes. "I think you should wait until tonight, when I can take a shot every time you tell me something truly shocking," she said, only half joking.

"Yay, a new drinking game," Elizabeth said. Then she softened. "It was hard work earning the money to get here."

Lindsay looked at her. "Job at the feed store?" she asked sympathetically.

Elizabeth scoffed. "Yeah, right," she snorted.

Lindsay looked puzzled. There was no other place that would've hired a thirteen-year-old girl. "Then how..." she trailed off, hoping that Elizabeth would fill in the blanks.

Even though the policy apparently didn't seem to apply to her mom, she still felt that being honest with her was best. "The kids in that holier than thou town are big cheaters."

Lindsay stared at her blankly, not catching on.

Elizabeth pulled a wad of cash from her jeans pocket. "Twenty bucks for a book report. Get me a copy of the test and I'll have the answers for fifty bucks. Homework varies, depending on the complexity and just how hard I have to work. It's a surprisingly good business." She didn't have any friends, but that didn't stop the secret operation from going on. It was mostly high school kids anyway. At least at first. She refused to do any business in the middle school, but they paid almost double, another reason for her to be hated in her school, than what the high schoolers paid. Some would get their older siblings to slip their work in to pay less, but Elizabeth started catching on and denying their business. That stopped them.

Lindsay snatched the bills from her hand, seeing hundreds and fifties. "You fail, but you still manage to do everyone else's work?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "The school doesn't pay me." She hardened herself against the disappointment she saw on her mom's face. It hurt, but that didn't matter. "Look. It's taken a lot of planning to get here. I figured if you knew, you would call Papa and he would lock me in the storage shed again." She smiled slightly at the horrified look on her mom's face. "Kidding."

Lindsay groaned. She had missed her daughters dearly, even when Elizabeth would push her to the point where she would actually have to spank her. "Lizzy, I've never actually beat you, but I'm not above doing so. I think I still have the belt daddy "passed on" to me when you were born."

"I think he was just trying to give you a little help seems how _you were only sixteen._" She paused. "How did this all start anyway? I'm pretty sure I came in here to ask you something specific..." Elizabeth finished off her cold pizza as she tried to remember the reason she'd come in there.

"I think you were asking me who Grace was," Lindsay said.

"Right. She's cute. Who are you babysitting for?"

"Why don't you just go check your email?" Lindsay suggested tiredly. "That'll tell you all you need to know about her."

Elizabeth's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! Just so you know, when Sam wakes up, she's going to be really hungry."

"Don't worry, I have this cash you earned. I'm pretty sure that'll get us through," Lindsay said lightly. Her eyes silently challenged Elizabeth to protest.

Elizabeth knew when to retreat and that was definitely one of those times. She silently got off the bed and made her way into the living room to her mom's computer.

Lindsay laid in her bed and looked around. She lived in a one-bedroom apartment with a pretty small living area. Her full sized bed was fine for her and Grace, when she stayed. Elizabeth usually slept on her belly and Sam had a habit of curling up in a ball. She shook her head. Sleeping arrangements could be made later.

She had a lot to think about at that moment. Elizabeth obviously resented her for leaving them with her parents. She knew that if she'd actually told her what was going on, the reaction wouldn't have been so bad, but she was just a kid. The reasons Lindsay had for leaving them there were to protect them. Then there was all Elizabeth's usual antics and, on top of that, Sam broke a kid's nose! Sam was too good, and shy for that matter, to do things like that!

Lindsay didn't realize how long she laid there thinking, but she drifted off to sleep. The next thing she knew, Lizzy was poking her in the ribs for her to wake up. "Mom, it's lunch time and we're hungry. Cold pizza sucks."

"Heat it up," Lindsay said reasonably, letting sleep claim her once more.

"Reheated pizza sucks," Elizabeth countered. "Take us to get something to eat or I'm calling your boss to tell him that you've kept us in the closet for however long you've been here. You only give us one meal a day and a gallon of water every other day. You lock us in the bathroom to clean our closet once a week."

Lindsay cracked open an eye and stared up at her daughter. "You've thought a lot about this, haven't you?" she asked.

Elizabeth just shrugged. "Come on. Sammy's brain is currently rotting. It's already half way there if she's still watching that stupid sponge."

"What stupid sponge?" Lindsay asked as she allowed her daughter to drag her out of bed.

"SpongeBob."

Lindsay rolled her eyes and followed Elizabeth into the living room. Elizabeth had a weird aversion to SpongeBob that would take a professional psychiatrist to dissect. "Hey baby," Lindsay said, turning the TV off. "Let's go get something to eat."

Sam nodded in agreement and slid off the couch. Her braids where somewhat frizzy from sleeping on them, but she was still so cute. She smiled shyly and slipped her hand into Elizabeth's.

"So what do you want to eat?" Lindsay asked as they got into the car.

"Mashed potatoes," Samantha said from the backseat.

"And steak," Elizabeth said. "We want some actual food."

"Did you not eat "actual food" at Nana and Papa's?" Lindsay asked.

Elizabeth and Samantha shared a look and Elizabeth tactfully changed the subject. "So when's Grace get out of school?"

Lindsay looked at her watch and gasped. "In about five minutes!" she said loudly.

Sam winced and covered her ears protectively. "It's only noon," Elizabeth pointed out incredulously.

"Grace gets out early since it's her last day," Lindsay said, silently thanking God that the roads were fairly clear.

"That's not fair," Liz said. "I had to go the whole day. So did Sammy and her class consists of a bunch of four-year-olds."

"Who probably did nothing but play all day," Lindsay said.

"You don't know that for sure, do you? Maybe they had some kind of assessment to determine where they are on the numbers and alphabet and stuff," Liz said.

Lindsay gave her a withering look. "Pre-K is for learning colors and sharing and simple things like that. They don't take _assessments_" She pulled up outside Grace's school. "Come on."

Samantha climbed over the seat and crawled out the driver's side. Elizabeth picked her little sister up and held her close. The stayed right outside the doors while their mom went inside to get Grace. "That was a close one back there," she whispered. "Can't have mom knowing why we left, can we?"

Sam shook her head and played with Elizabeth's earring. "Daddy's gonna be mad," she said softly. "He takeded our stuff already."

Elizabeth tugged one of Sam's braids. "Dad doesn't have a say in anything we do," she reminded her. "He left us too many times to count. He didn't have the right--" She shushed Sam when they spotted Grace skipping happily with Lindsay in tow.

"HI!" Grace bellowed loudly when she was outside the building.

Sam buried her face in the crook of Elizabeth's neck. "Hi," Elizabeth said calmly. "How was your day?"

Grace started rambling about the party they had and how she got a cookie and a goody bag. "See? Montana says I can't have any 'til we eat."

"Montana?" Sam whispered.

"It's a nickname," Elizabeth explained. "This guy gave it to her because she's from Montana." Lindsay's emails were very helpful.

They ended up eating chicken instead of steak, and they brought it back to Lindsay's apartment to eat. Grace and Elizabeth ate like they hadn't had a meal in weeks while Lindsay and Sam ate slower and much more politely. Sam still managed to make a mess of herself, but no more so than Grace.

"Bath time already?" Elizabeth asked dryly.

"Yeah!" Grace cheered, smiling widely. The thought of water making her wiggle with excitement.

Sam stared shyly down at her mostly empty plate. "Me and Sammy are going to watch some cartoons first," Elizabeth decided. "I need a shower too."

Lindsay, knowing that Elizabeth was just being a sister, smiled softly. Sam was afraid of strangers and it probably wouldn't have been a very good idea to expect her to bathe with Grace when they'd just met. "Okay then. Come on, Grace."

Grace followed, looking back at Sam and Elizabeth. They were both sad, that was obvious, but they needed a friend. She resolved, that after they were all clean again, she would try to be that friend.

It wasn't to be though. After everyone was clean and dressed, Grace tried to get Sam to play with her.

"Come on, Sammy Sam Sam. Look, we have cars. Vroom Vroom." She pushed the car up Sam's leg and stopped suddenly when she saw the tears in Sam's big brown eyes. "I'm sorry!" she said quickly, wrapping her arms around the little girl.

That just made Sam cry harder, and Grace soon joined in.

"Mom!" Elizabeth yelled, only slightly amused. She knew the panic Grace must've felt, but Sam's shyness wouldn't allow her to make friends immediately.

Lindsay walked into her bedroom and saw the crying girls. "Oh no," she said faintly.

"Good luck." Elizabeth smirked as she walked past her mother.

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

Danny walked into Lindsay's apartment. He always did just to see what Grace had got her to agree to do that day. Instead, he found a girl in purple pajamas with little yellow ducks on them with her hair wrapped in a towel, eating ice cream. He reflexively reached for his gun.

Elizabeth saw what he was doing and raised her spoon. "Don't point your gun at me! It's not nice and completely uncalled for! I'm unarmed...unless you count this spoon, but what am I gonna do with a spoon?" She smirked at him. "Can't you see that I'm just an unsuspecting young girl? If you start waving your firearm around, I might start crying."

Danny carefully brought his hand away from his holster. "Who are you? Where's Lindsay?"

Elizabeth took a bite of her ice cream. "Grace made Sammy cry and that caused Grace to cry so she's in there," she pointed to Lindsay's bedroom, "trying to calm them down."

Danny only had one more question. "Why are you in your pajamas at two o'clock in the afternoon?"

**TBC...I hope that got SOME stuff cleared up. In case you didn't get that, Elizabeth is 13 and Sam is 4. Lindsay left them with her parents when she went to New York. The reason why and more about who their dad is will be revealed...later. Also, GP is short for grandparents...I call my parents the Ps and my grandparents the GPs...because I can. **


	4. Of Bad Attitudes and Crunch Buddies

**Parental Obligations: Of Bad Attitudes and Crunch Buddies**

Elizabeth was startled by the question, and she laughed when she saw the half smile on Danny's face. "I don't have anywhere to be so I ask you: why not wear your favorite pjs at two o'clock in the afternoon?"

Danny nodded. "That's a valid point." He felt a little awkward talking to a girl whose name he didn't even know. "Name's Danny Messer."

Elizabeth hesitated, glancing toward the bedroom. "Elizabeth," she finally said, omitting her last name. She put the lid back on the tub of ice cream she'd been eating out of. If her mom knew, she would be quite cross. Eating ice cream out of the tub, drinking milk out of the carton, licking a serving spoon...all unacceptable. "I'll go get..._her_."

Danny raised his eyebrows at the wording of that statement and watched her walk into the bedroom. There was something about the shape of her eyes and the playful smile that was familiar.

Elizabeth was unbelievably amused to see her mom trying to calm the girls down. "Hey, mom," she greeted her mother seriously. "You have a guest. My hostess skills need a little brushing up so I thought I'd leave that part to you for now."

Lindsay looked up at Elizabeth. "What?"

"This guy. I think he was going to shoot me, but I stopped him," Elizabeth said. "I told him not to pull his gun on innocent girls."

Lindsay jumped up. "Stay here," she ordered.

Elizabeth grinned at Grace and Samantha. "This is going to be fun," she said when she was sure her mom was out of earshot.

Lindsay first view when she walked out of the bedroom was of Danny eating a cold piece of pizza and drinking a beer. "Did you pull your gun on my daughter?" she asked crossly, forgetting briefly that he had no idea that Elizabeth was her daughter.

Danny choked on his pizza. "What?" he asked dumbly.

"Elizabeth said you pulled your gun on her," Lindsay said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I did _not_ pull my gun on her," Danny protested. "She scared me and I _reflexively_ reached for my gun. I didn't pull it out--or touch it for that matter!"

Lindsay calmed considerably. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "Lizzy has a tendency to...over exaggerate."

Everything fell into place as he remembered Lindsay's waking words from a few months earlier. "So, you have a daughter," he stated.

"Two actually," Elizabeth said, walking into the kitchen holding Grace's hand with her right and Sam's with her left. "Elizabeth Monroe. This is Samantha and you already know Grace."

Both girls looked a lot happier than when Lindsay left them.

"We wrapped up our case," Danny explained, turning to Lindsay. "Stella and Mac went to catch a coupla hours of sleep. They'll be here around five. I thought we could do something, but..."

"Don't worry about it," Elizabeth said with a smirk. "Me and Sam'll just go back to our closet."

"What?" Danny asked.

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "She means you'll have to include them in whatever it was you'd wanted to do."

Danny nodded and looked over at Elizabeth. "I was thinking of watching a, uh, movie," he said.

Elizabeth quickly shook her head. Danny shrugged, silently telling her she should pick. "_Park_," she mouthed silently.

"I meant," Danny amended, "We should go to Central Park."

Lindsay gave him a weird look. "I guess that'll be fun." She turned to the girls who were all nodding appreciatively.

"The hair dryer's in the bathroom, right?" Elizabeth asked with a mischievous smile, fingering the towel on her head.

"Yeah," Lindsay said.

Elizabeth crouched down and whispered something in Sam's ear. The little girl frantically shook her head, but Elizabeth gave her a stern look and went into the bathroom.

Lindsay watched curiously as Sam scuffed the floor with her foot. Finally, after letting out a soft sigh, the little girl straightened with a determined look on her little angelic face.

Sam swallowed the frightened feeling that was telling her to hide and walked right up to Danny and held out her arms to be picked up. Elizabeth had told her he was a nice man, and Elizabeth had _never_ lied to her.

Danny looked over at Lindsay and shrugged at her shocked look. He obediently pulled Sam into his arms. "My name's Danny," he said softly, noting how shy she was even after such a bold move.

Sam didn't say anything, but she offered a timid smile.

Grace smiled to herself. Maybe Danny could help them be friends! "Hey, Danny!" she said cheerfully.

Sam flinched and automatically leaned away from Danny. If not for his quick reflexes, she would've fallen. She closed her eyes and tried to get her breathing under control.

"Hey," Danny said soothingly. "Breathe. It's okay. I've got you."

Lindsay quickly walked over. "Sammy?" she said softly.

Sam opened her eyes and looked straight at Danny. His heart went out to her, and he pulled her close.

Lindsay was shocked when Sammy laid her head on Danny's shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What?" Danny said defensively. "I have a way with the ladies."

Grace sighed, realizing that taking Sam on as a friend was going to be a little harder than she'd initially thought. It was okay though. If she'd learned anything, it was that persistence was key in getting what you wanted.

Elizabeth came out of the bathroom wearing a white tank top with her pajama bottoms. Her hair was in long layers and looked really good. Lindsay didn't think so. "What did you do to your hair!" she gasped.

Sam sighed. "Told her," she muttered.

"Your hair. It was so long," Lindsay moaned. The longest layer came a little longer than midway down the teen's back and the shortest layer came to her chin.

"It's long," Danny pointed out helpfully. It really was long and beautiful.

Lindsay turned to Danny with a look that could've stopped the Titanic. "Danny, her hair was down to her _butt_ when I left--"

"That's right, mom," Elizabeth said casually, putting her hand on her slim hip. "You left. You weren't there to tell me not to cut my hair. You don't have much authority over the phone."

Lindsay swallowed her anger. "We'll talk about this later," she promised with barely concealed anger, conscious of the fact that they were dragging out their problems in front of Danny.

Elizabeth shrugged, honestly not caring. It didn't matter to her when she got yelled at. If it had to be put off then so be it. "Great job, Sam," she cheered when she noticed her sister in Danny's arms.

Sam gave her a thumb's up and a small smile. She knew Danny was a good guy, and, even though she had to be encouraged to go to him, she was glad she did.

Danny frowned in confusion. He felt like he was intruding in a family matter. "Umm, Lindsay," he said carefully.

"It's okay, Danny," Lindsay assured him with an obviously fake smile. Her eyes begged him not to bail on her.

He turned to Elizabeth. "Is that what you're going to wear to the park?" he asked, referring to her pajama pants.

"What is your problem with pajamas?" Elizabeth demanded with no real hostility. "This is as good as it gets, cowboy."

"Right," Danny said. "I guess we're all ready."

Elizabeth crouched down to Grace's level. She had been quiet since coming from the bedroom. "Hey, Grace. Why don't you ride on my back? Seems my sister found a new favorite person."

Grace nodded. "I don't think Danny's Sam's favorite person," she said honestly, climbing onto Elizabeth's back. "He's nice, but I really don't think he would be anyone's favorite person."

Lindsay burst out laughing at the affronted look on Danny's face. "It's okay, Danny," she said. Having been on the end of brutal, childish honesty, she was sympathetic to his need for an ally.

"I think he's _mom's_ favorite person," Elizabeth said impishly. They had made it to the front of the apartment building. Lindsay unlocked the car doors for everyone to get in.

Danny shrugged off the embarrassed look on Lindsay's face. "Lil Montana, I think me and you are going to be pretty good friends."

Lindsay turned to Danny. "Her name's Elizabeth. There are plenty of nicknames you can get from that. How 'bout you stick to those?"

"I think it fits though," Danny argued. "Montana, Lil Montana, and Baby Montana."

"I love it," Grace cheered.

"No," the three Monroe females chorused.

"I think we're outnumbered," Danny informed Grace. He released Sam so she could be buckled into the middle of the backseat.

"Nuh uh," Grace said. "We have momma and Mac."

Danny felt the familiar pang when she called Stella momma. He knew Stella really was Grace's mom, in the sense that Stella cared for her as a mother would. It took weeks before Grace was brave enough to say what she felt in her heart: that Stella was her mom. Even then, it had slipped out.

Still, it made him think of Holly and how much she had meant to him before she died.

"So you three are outnumbered," Danny said, reaching into the backseat and gently poking Sam in the side.

An unexpected giggled made its way out of Sam's mouth. She blushed an adorable shade of pink.

Grace giggled and experimentally poked her. She froze, not sure whether or not that was allowed.

Sam turned to her and smiled softly, realizing that she needed to be brave. Grace had been really upset over making her cry earlier. She poked Grace back.

Grace laughed loudly.

Sam was delighted by the noise and poked her a couple more times.

Grace wiggled in her seatbelt and laughed as she tried to get away from Sam's merciless fingers. "Stop," she begged.

Sam immediately stopped, concerned. "Sorry," she said, bowing her head.

Grace poked her. "You're not really supposed to stop."

Elizabeth grinned as Grace tried to coax Sam into playing the silly little game. Due to her shy nature, Sam didn't make friends easily. She got picked on a lot though so she didn't really have much experience playing with people her age. It was good that Grace had taken a liking to her. Maybe it would bring her out of her shell.

Danny looked over at Lindsay who seemed to be concentrating awfully hard on driving. "You okay, Montana?" he asked worriedly.

Lindsay didn't look away from the road. "I'm fine," she said shortly.

Danny shrugged and turned his head to watch Sam and Grace. They had moved on to some sort of clapping game Grace had learned in school.

"No," Grace said patiently. "You bring your left hand up and your right down."

"I did," Sam said.

"No. _This _is your left." Grace grabbed Sam's left hand.

"Oh."

"Now try it again. Good. Now hit my hands then clap your hands. Now, we do it all over." Grace was very happy Sam caught on so quickly. It had taken her a lot longer, but no one needed to know that.

"We're here," Lindsay said cheerfully.

"We'll do it later," Grace promised. "Right now, we can climb that tree over there."

Elizabeth grabbed her arm. "No climbing trees," she said sternly, hiding her amusement.

"Okay," Grace agreed, carefully shaking her off. There were some pretty cool bugs that her new friend just _had_ to see.

Sam was a little more afraid now that she was in a public place. In the car and in Lindsay's apartment, she could open up a little. There were a lot of people there.

Lindsay climbed out of the car. "Grace, go with Elizabeth," she said gently.

Grace gave Sam a worried look and complied.

Lindsay bent to Sam's level and looked her in the eye. "Grace is really nice, and Elizabeth will be with you the whole time. I'll be on that bench over there with Danny, okay?"

Sam looked down at her hands. "What if I you leave me?" she asked.

Lindsay's heart ached. The question was perfectly valid, but had never come up before then. "I won't leave you, Samantha," she whispered.

Sam looked up at her. "You promise?"

Lindsay nodded, not trusting her voice. She helped Sam out of the car and watched her join Grace and Elizabeth.

"How old are they?" Danny asked, leaning against the car. He shoved his hands in his pocket and waited for Lindsay to lock up the car.

"Thirteen and four." She wasn't in the mood to watch him mentally work out the math. "I had Lizzy when I was sixteen. I was home schooled for my last three years of high school and I got out of there as soon as I got my high school diploma at eighteen."

Danny followed her to a bench where they could keep an eye on the girls. "Where have they been since you've been here?" he asked. He didn't want to pry, but his curiosity was getting the best of him.

"You mean you didn't believe that I locked them in the closet?" Lindsay tried to joke.

Danny shrugged. "I've seen your closet. There didn't wasn't room for two girls. Unless you had them stuffed in the boxes..."

Lindsay laughed. "They were with my parents. I--I knew it was probably a mistake at the time, and I definitely know it was now, but it was my only option at the time."

"What about their dad?" Danny asked. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but he _needed_ to know.

"Charles Young is a terrible father. Every once in a while, he'll drop in, scramble our lives a little, and leave." The bitterness in her voice had a hint of longing that didn't go unnoticed by Danny.

"So, he's--I mean, is there--" Danny stopped, trying to get his thoughts together.

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Charlie was my childhood sweetheart. I was so sure we were going to get married, but he had a lot going for him. One time was all it took and I was pregnant. He tried to do the right thing and marry me, but I could tell he wasn't doing it for the right reasons. If we had gotten married, he would've resented me forever for "trapping him." He went away to finish high school after I turned down his proposal."

"But it wasn't once," Danny said, feeling faintly ill at the thought. "Because there's Samantha." He was fishing. There was a chance that she might be some other guy's kid. Lindsay just didn't seem like that kind of girl.

Lindsay shrugged. "Like I said, Charlie came back every once in a while. Once when Lizzy was three, another time when she was six, and the final time when she had just turned eight. He missed her birthday of course. He was a successful lawyer and promised he would stay and take care of us, for real this time. Of course, I fell for it. As soon as I told him I was pregnant, he left. He sees the girls when he blows into town, but he only stays for a few nights at a time."

"Oh, so it's like a umm touch and go relationship," Danny said, trying to put it delicately.

Lindsay chuckled at the wording. "No. He stays in a hotel when he comes into town. I'm done with his empty promises."

Danny didn't let his relief show. "Why did you leave them in Montana when you came here?" he asked, changing the subject.

Lindsay tensed up. "It's complicated," she said quietly. "I don't think we should talk about this."

Danny was confused by the freeze out. "Okay," he said. "How about telling me...about Elizabeth?" That seemed like a safe subject.

"As I was trying to get through college, there was a lot of reading and a lot of studying. She was two by that time and pretty well behaved. I only left her with babysitters or the daycare when I had class. Late night studying or assignments were done with her there. Believe it or not, she was a lot like Sam. Quiet, thoughtful, shy. Of course, she was totally smart.

"By the time she got into kindergarten, she already knew more than they could teach her. She was automatically advanced to first grade where she could actually learn something she didn't already know. Little Elizabeth didn't speak up in class 'til the third grade. No one knew her name until fifth grade when she kicked Ralph Hull's bullying ass." Lindsay grinned. "I will _never_ forget that day."

Danny saw that Lindsay was getting sucked into the memory of that day. He didn't want to be left out. "Tell me," he urged, nudging her shoulder.

"I was at work when I got the call. Of course I was excused. When I got there, Elizabeth, who was really small for her age, was sitting on a bench beside this really big kid giving him a long-winded lecture. I don't know why they were even left in the same room together, but I stood around the corner as Elizabeth told this kid that he needed to be nicer...bla bla bla. It was mainly about not picking on people smaller than him. Anyway, I walk around the corner and this huge kid, with his black eye and split lip, is staring at Lizzy like she was the best thing since sliced bread."

A slow smile spread across Danny's face. "You're kiddin' me!" he exclaimed.

Lindsay shook her head. "No. From that day on, he had the biggest crush on her."

Danny laughed. He wasn't really that surprised. The Monroe women seemed to have that effect on people.

"Ahem," Elizabeth said. "If you're through talking about me, scoot over."

Danny gave her a wide grin. "What's the magic word?"

Not one to play that game, Elizabeth sat herself on the sliver of space between Danny and Lindsay and wiggled until she had enough room to sit. She ignored Lindsay's annoyed huff and Danny's disgruntled look. "Grace is trying to get Sam to touch this big beetle. She's been trying to get her to do it for, like, ten minutes."

About twenty feet away, the two girls were crouched looking at what was apparently a beetle.

"So, has she told you why she abandoned us at the evil GPs' house?" Elizabeth asked cheerfully, effectively breaking the comfortable silence.

"Uh," Danny said. "No."

Elizabeth snapped her fingers. "Don't feel bad. She hasn't told me either."

Lindsay sighed. "Lizzy--"

"Oh, look. This still isn't the time, is it?" Elizabeth was still watching Grace and Sam even though she knew Lindsay and Danny were looking at her.

"No," Lindsay said after a few moments. "It isn't."

"So," Elizabeth said, figuring she would make the situation a little more uncomfortable. "Did she tell you about Kenny?"

"Elizabeth Danielle!" Lindsay snapped, her temper flaring.

Sam's scream saved Elizabeth. Grace laughed when Sam tackled her, joyfully joining in on the battle that Sam was determined to have.

Lindsay and Danny separated the two while Elizabeth cheered them on. "What's going on?" Lindsay asked, sending Elizabeth an angry look.

"She touched the bug!" Grace said laughingly. "It was on its back and she touched its footies!"

Elizabeth understood immediately. "The bug wasn't going to hurt you, Sammy. He just thought he was gettin' a new buddy!"

Sam kicked the ground and muttered something under her breath that had Danny laughing.

"Two words," he said. "Crunch buddy."

Grace gasped. "He didn't want a crunch buddy! Beetle crunching is bad!" she said, horrified at the very idea.

"I think we should go back to the apartment and watch a movie," Lindsay said. "There will be no crunching or wrestling or violent contact of any kind."

"Darn," Elizabeth said. "I was thinking of something along the lines of Captain Crunch-ing."

"No," Lindsay said. "You just ate and you can wait for dinner."

Elizabeth put her hand on her hip in what Danny realized was a defensive stance. "Yes, _mom_. Sorry,_ mom_."

Lindsay rolled her eyes and offered a hand to Grace and the other hand to Sam. "Come on. I'll even let you two pick the movie."

Grace's eyes lit up and she peeked over at Sam. She was watching Elizabeth with something akin to trepidation. There was no excitement in her eyes, just fear. What of though?

TBC...What a difficult chapter to write! I'm sorry it took so long, but I was having problems with inspiration and stuff.


	5. Of Michief and Movies

**Parental Obligations: Of Mischief and Movies**

The debate was fierce. The battle of wills was exceptionally strong. Cheerful emerald eyes stared into solemn brown.

_Little Mermaid_ vs. _Atlantis_

Grace's small selection of movies included _Little Mermaid_, _A Bug's Life_, _Mulan II_, and_ Cinderella_.

The only movie Sam had was _Atlantis_. She had an extensive Disney/Pixar collection, but there just wasn't enough room to bring them all. So she chose the one movie she truly loved. Milo reminded her of Daniel Jackson from her sister's favorite show, Stargate SG-1.

Elizabeth was laughing as she watched the staring contest between her sister and Grace. She sometimes forgot how stubborn Sam could be. It was nice to be reminded. "You two, we can watch both movies," she said laughingly. Personally, she wanted to watch _A Bug's Life_ or _Mulan II_. Not that she would ever say anything...She hated being treated like a kid.

Danny sipped his beer. "I find this weird," he finally decided. He turned to Lindsay who had her eyes closed and was tapping her foot. "Do you find this weird?"

Lindsay opened one eye. "No," she said. "They're kids. Cartoons are important."

Grace finally sighed, impatient. "Fine," she grumbled good naturedly. "We'll watch the ocean movie!"

"Technically," Elizabeth said, "Your movie's an ocean movie too. They're both cartoons, and they're both equally fun...except, you know, Ursula. She kinda freaks me out." She shuddered to emphasize her point.

Danny was half laying across the couch so Grace climbed onto him as Lindsay got up to put in _Atlantis_. "Danny'll protect you," she said confidently. "We watched a scary show and he protected me."

"What scary show?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

Danny put his hand over Grace's mouth and whispered something in her ear.

"X Files," Grace said quickly when he took his hand away.

"I told you not to say anything!" he protested.

Elizabeth grinned. "I never watched that show, but I'm pretty hooked on the Stargate shows."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. 'Hooked' was an understatement. She was obsessed, and, if allowed, she would go on and on about them. "The movie's starting."

Elizabeth was laying on the floor, Danny was laying on the couch with Grace in his lap, and Lindsay was sitting in a recliner. Sam stood beside the TV trying to decide where to go. Elizabeth would whisper comments in her ear the entire movie, and Lindsay got restless during movies...

Danny smiled at Sam when she climbed up and sat beside Grace. He was taking the time to analyze his feelings about the whole, weird situation. He was truly shocked and maybe a little angry at Lindsay. She had left her two beautiful and great daughters in Montana and hadn't even told him about it. Although, he supposed he didn't have the right to be angry at her for not telling him. It's not like she was required to tell him every little thing about her life.

Still, there were no pictures or anything in the apartment to indicate she even had kids. She had been in the city for eight months while her kids were in Montana.

Grace moved to sit by Danny's feet. He kept absent-mindedly tapping his fingers on the back of the couch and it was annoying her.

Danny yelped when Sam pinched his finger. "Why'd you do that?" he hissed.

Sam shrugged. "Watch the movie," she said sweetly.

Danny rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Sam was truly adorable. She obviously took after her dad because her skin tone, hair, and eyes were darker than Lindsay and Elizabeth's. Elizabeth, on the other hand, looked just like her mom.

Sam was sitting on Danny's stomach watching the movie with a concentration only she could pull off. It was obvious she loved the movie, but she'd seen it a million times and could recite most of the lines from memory.

She surprised Danny once more by laying across his chest, her head resting right over his heart. It felt a little symbolic, but he didn't say anything. In the short few hours he'd known her, she had wormed her way into his heart.

Elizabeth watched Lindsay who was watching Sam and Danny with a soft look in her eyes. She sighed, turning back to the movie. It wouldn't last. Something bad would happen with Danny or otherwise and ruin Lindsay's happiness. Good things--happy things--never lasted...at least not with them.

At five, as they were nearing the end of the movie, there was a light knock at the door. Elizabeth had given up on the movie and went into the bedroom to read and Danny had fallen asleep.

Grace tugged on Sam's foot, causing the little girl to turn with a frown. "Wanna meet my momma?" she asked.

Sam stared at her before nodding slightly and following Grace and Lindsay to the door. The door opened and her eyes widened at the man and woman standing at the door.

"That is my momma," Grace said proudly.

Stella raised her eyebrows and grinned at Grace who really was her daughter in all the ways that mattered. She always felt warm inside to hear Grace call her that.

"'S that your daddy?" Sam whispered, her eyes not leaving Mac's form. He seemed kind of scary to her.

"No...well, sorta," Grace said. "I just call him Mac, but he is I guess..."

Mac crouched down to their level, a bit surprised when Sam stepped behind Grace.

Lindsay just stood there, unsure of what to say or do.

"This," Grace said, grabbing Sam's hand and pulling her forward, "is Baby Montana." She remembered how Sam had cried earlier when she tried to push her into playing, but she also remembered how worked up the other girl had gotten when she called her Baby Montana.

"Nuh uh," Sam said, yanking her hand away and glaring at Grace. "M' name's Sam."

Grace turned to Mac with a grin. "Lil Montana is _reading_," she said, dragging out the word.

Lindsay sighed. "Come on in," she said resignedly at Stella and Mac's questioning looks.

Stella stumbled when Mac grabbed her hand and pulled himself up. "Not funny," she muttered when he laughed.

"Sorry," Mac apologized solemnly, his eyes shining.

Stella rolled her eyes and gracefully walked around him.

Grace gave Sam an exasperated look. "She says it's not funny, but she's laughing so it _is_ funny." She shook her head. _Grownups_.

Sam just stared back at her.

Grace huffed. "Come on," she said, grabbing her hand and dragging her into the living room.

Danny was snoring softly on the couch when Grace and Sam came to stand beside him. Stella and Mac were talking quietly with Lindsay in the kitchen, leaving the girls with the sleeping Danny.

Sam grinned slightly and took Danny's glasses off. She put them on and was really surprised when everything went blurry.

Grace giggled at the stunned look on Sam's face.

"What are you doing?"

Grace and Sam turned to look over at Elizabeth. She was standing in the doorway to the bedroom with raised eyebrows. "Nice glasses there, Sammy."

Sam blinked behind the lenses. Elizabeth walked over to where they were crowded around Danny and crouched down to their level.

Danny abruptly woke up to something being shoved up his nose.

Sam and Grace looked up at Elizabeth with wide eyes. She had just shoved a pencil up Danny's nose!

Danny reached up and carefully pulled the pencil out and blinked at the blurry people before him. "Where are my glasses?"

Sam passed them to Grace who passed them to Elizabeth who put them in Danny's outstretched hand. "It was Sam," she said immediately when Danny shot her an accusing look.

Sam nodded in agreement.

Grace looked between the sisters. "Sam took her glasses, but she was just playin'." As if Danny was really going to get mad. "And Lil Montana is that one that stuck the pencil up your nose!"

"You stuck a pencil up his nose?"

Elizabeth winced. "No," she said defensively, turning to her mom and the two strangers.

Lindsay looked at the pencil in Danny's hand and rolled her eyes. "Great. Now you're lying."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Insert witty comeback here," she said dryly. "I'm going to finish reading my book."

Having explained the situation as best and quick as possible to them, Lindsay turned to Stella and Mac. "That charming girl is my oldest daughter, Elizabeth. The little girl trying to fade into the background is Samantha."

"Lil Montana and Baby Montana," Grace explained cheerfully.

Stella and Mac exchanged amused looks when Sam huffed indignantly. "Not Baby Montana! _Sam_."

Grace grinned impishly and slipped her hand into Mac's. "Are we leaving?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes. We're going to do something fun," Mac promised.

Grace looked over at Sam. "Can Sammy Sam Sam come too?" she asked.

Stella looked over at Mac with wide eyes. "Grace," he immediately said. "I think Samantha needs some time with her mom."

Grace looked over at Sam who was studying her shoes. "Okay," she conceded.

Grace walked over and hugged Danny then Sam. Sam was startled and tried to pull away. Danny had to catch them to keep them from falling.

Lindsay smirked as Sam finally succeeded in pushing Grace away. "Bye, Grace. I promise you can play with Sam tomorrow."

"Great!" Grace said cheerfully. "I'm gonna say goodbye to the grumpy one."

They all watched as Grace disappeared into the bedroom and heard Elizabeth's indignant, "Hey! That's my book!"

Sam sighed and crawled onto the couch beside Danny.

"I'm ready now," Grace said, bouncing back into the room.

Stella turned to Lindsay. "Thank you for watching Grace," she said.

Lindsay shrugged. "It was no problem."

Stella took Grace's hand and grinned at Danny. "I'll talk to you later," she promised.

Mac just nodded and smiled as they made their exit.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Danny asked.

TBC...I know it ended abruptly, but I thought I would go ahead and post it since it's been so long since I've updated this story. It will probably be a while...I have major writer's block. I know how I want this one to end, but it's the little things I'm having problems with.


	6. Of Laughter and Dancing

**Parental Obligations: Of Laughter and Dancing**

Lindsay struggled not to sigh as she sat between Elizabeth and Danny who had decided that bickering and fighting were fun things to do while watching movies. They were having a movie marathon, and Lindsay wanted to scream with frustration.

She couldn't exactly bring up all their familial problems in front of Danny. She suspected that was the reason he was there: so she wouldn't be able to blow up at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth stared thoughtfully at the television screen. She would make witty comments every once in a while, but she wasn't really watching the movie. She had seen it enough to tune back in and make comments that annoyed everyone in the room.

Danny tried not to fidget as Samantha twisted his short hair with her fingers. By the slight droop of her eyelids, she was getting sleepy.

When the movie ended, Samantha wasn't fully asleep and she seemed to jerk completely awake. "My turn!" she said, all thoughts of sleep disappearing from her head.

Lindsay struggled, quite unsuccessfully, not to sigh. "Go ahead. Grace left her movies if you want to watch one of them. They're on the table."

Knowing Elizabeth's secret desire to watch it, Sam settled on _Mulan II_.

Danny watched with amusement as the girls sang at the top of their lungs through the songs. When the, hopefully, last song came on, Elizabeth grabbed her mom's hands and dragged her up.

"_I wanna be like other girls_," Elizabeth grinned at her mom and swung her toward Sam and Lindsay, in a momentary relapse into childhood, scooped the little girl up._  
_

"_Climb up a tree like other girls can_," the three females chorused,"_Just to be free like other girls…Get to be_."

Danny watched as they danced around the room. It was nice to see Elizabeth without a frown, pout, smirk or any other negative expression. She was laughing and carefree…a thirteen year old girl. Of course Lindsay was receding to her tween days as she danced and laughed with her daughters.

"Come on, Danny!" Sam cheered.

Danny shook his head. "You go ahead," he said. "I'll just watch."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and swung Sam up onto her shoulders. "_No hands folded perfect, like holding a lily_," she mumbled softly.

Lindsay plopped down next to Danny as the song came to an end. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was coming out of the clip she'd put in to keep her hair out of her face.

To Danny, she was beautiful.

Elizabeth smirked and practically dropped Samantha onto Danny's lap and squeezed between the two adults.

Danny coughed softly and scooted down a little. Sam pushed the tip of her index finger into her mouth and lightly gnawed on the small digit. She absent mindedly reached up and wove her fingers through her sister's long hair.

Elizabeth let her head fall back on the couch. It had become a habit for Sam to play with someone's hair whenever she was sleepy, and it was what lulled Elizabeth to sleep most nights.

Elizabeth's eyes fell shut and she started to drift to sleep until something pulled her back to the surface. She cracked open her eyes and looked over at Danny. "Are you humming?" she asked suspiciously.

"No," Danny said casually.

Elizabeth nodded and closed her eyes. Until Sam started singing along with the humming. _"I wanna be like other girls…"_

Lindsay laughed softly when Danny's cheeks colored and he ducked his head in embarrassment.

"Don't stop," Sam protested sleepily.

Danny looked over at Elizabeth. She sighed without opening her eyes and started humming, taking pity on the man.

Samantha sang along until she drifted to sleep, bringing Elizabeth with her.

Danny sat there as the credits rolled. He couldn't move. Samantha was asleep across his lap, her head against his chest. Elizabeth's head had fallen to rest on Danny's shoulder and she was snoring softly in his ear.

"You are such a softy," Lindsay said.

Danny peeked over Elizabeth's head. "Please. The ladies love me."

"Yeah," Lindsay said softly, switching off the TV. She stood up and stretched. "Help me get these two into my room and we can share the last beer."

Danny grinned. "I like the way you think," he said with a grin.

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

"You said we'd share," Danny protested, trying to take the beer from Lindsay's hands.

Lindsay took one last sip before passing the beer to Danny. "Tonight was fun," she decided. "Even though you completely ruined my chance to really be super angry with them."

"Super angry?"

"Danny, they travelled from Montana to New York by themselves. You really expect me to just let that pass?" Lindsay asked.

"You can't just yell at them on their first day," Danny pointed out, setting the beer on the countertop.

"I know," she admitted, "but when I think of what could've happened…"

Danny stayed quiet for a few minutes. "Do you want to talk about it?" he finally asked.

Lindsay raised her eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

"Whatever it is that's making you nervous to be alone with your own kids," Danny said softly.

Lindsay looked into his sympathetic blue eyes. He was so worried about her and her daughters that he'd spent a perfectly good night with them when he could've been out with someone or doing whatever it was he did. "I'm not nervous to be alone with my kids," she scoffed.

Danny put his hand on her arm when she tried to move away. "Montana—Lindsay. You almost didn't get up when Elizabeth grabbed your hands earlier. You're afraid of something…I don't know what it is, but it's affecting you."

Lindsay rolled her eyes uncomfortably. "Danny, there's a _lot_ you don't know about me. One thing, though, that you should already know is that I don't scare easily. I'm not afraid or nervous or whatever it is that you're thinking. I just need a little time to figure some things out. I wasn't prepared to have my daughters come here…not so quickly anyway."

Danny nodded and pulled his hand away as if he'd been burnt. It hurt that she didn't trust him enough to tell him what was going on. "I should get going." He drained the beer and set it beside to sink which was lined with several bottles and cans.

Lindsay nodded in agreement and walked him to the door. "Talk to you tomorrow," she said softly.

Danny patted her on the back. "Don't be too hard on them," he warned, "or I'll bring Grace over. She'll take care of you."

"Right," Lindsay said with a laugh.

"She's almost as big as you so I dunno…" Danny ducked away from her playful swing and walked away, still laughing.

In the bedroom, Elizabeth laid still on the bed. She listened to Lindsay clean up and make her bed on the couch. Lindsay wasn't as fearless as she seemed, and it wasn't only about whatever happened back in Montana. She was also afraid to let Danny close to her.

TBC…yeah, not completely satisfied with this chapter, but, due to recent events on our favorite show…I got my muse back!


	7. Of Tears and Phone Calls

**Parental Obligations: Of Tears and Phone Calls**

For three days, the Monroes managed to avoid any unpleasant subjects. They managed to pretend that nothing was amiss, like they were just a normal family that had random spats about nothing in particular.

Lindsay was at work, processing evidence. She and Danny hadn't made much progress on their case, but Stella and Mac had basically breezed through not one but three cases. Apparently, the evidence was just handed to them or something.

Finished with their cases, Stella and Mac offered to relieve the babysitter, a sixteen-year-old girl in Lindsay's building, of Grace, Samantha, and Elizabeth. Lindsay and Hannah, the babysitter, accepted the kind offer.

Lindsay leaned over and studied the bloodstained shirt. She had to be missing something.

"Are you going to answer that?" Danny asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"What?" Lindsay asked.

"Your phone. The one you've been ignoring for the past ten minutes…?"

Lindsay glanced down at her phone just as it stopped ringing. There were four missed calls. She remembered ignoring one but not the other three. "Huh," she said before turning back to what she had been doing.

Danny watched Lindsay curiously for a few brief seconds before turning back to what he had been doing.

When Lindsay's phone rang again, she reached down and picked it up. Flipping it open, she said, "Hello?"

"Lindsay," a breathy female voice said, "Thank God. I just heard."

Lindsay almost wished she hadn't picked up. "What did you hear, mom?"

Danny glanced at her, raising his eyebrows. _"Mom?"_ he whispered.

Lindsay rolled her eyes and turned away. "Mom? You still there?"

"Oh, God. He didn't call you," Silvia Monroe gasped. She should have figured.

"Mom, I don't really have time for this," Lindsay said. "If you're just going to keep talking in circles, then you're going to have to call back when I'm not at work."

"Charles," Silvia explained as if that explained everything.

"What about him?" Lindsay asked, stepping away so Danny would stop trying to listen to her conversation.

Silvia went silent. Lindsay didn't know _anything_? "Oh, God," Silvia whispered. "Lindsay, baby, I'm so sorry."

Lindsay became very worried when she heard the tears in her mom's voice. "Mom, you're scaring me."

"Charles came here about a month ago. He's been staying in the Young family house while his parents went to Paris for the summer, and he came here ranting and raving about custody. He's getting married, you know. Well, I had no choice—until you got back and we could figure things out—I didn't know what to do, and you already had so much on your plate—"

"Mom, stop," Lindsay ordered, stopping the unending rambling. Silence followed her order. "Now, tell me what's got you so worked up."

Silvia took a deep breath and prepared to completely devastate her only daughter. "Lindsay, baby, Charles came about a month ago and took the girls. He has plans to get full custody, but he called earlier and…he went out of town for a few days and left them with the house keeper, but—"

Realization dawned on Lindsay. "Mom, they're here with me," she said soothingly. Then everything else that had been said sunk in. "He has plans to do _what_?!"

((((((((((CSI:NY)))))))))))

Lindsay concentrated on her work with a determination that rather scared Danny. They had the case solved within an hour and she beat a path out of there.

Danny pulled out his phone. "Hey, Mac. Yeah. Lindsay's on her way home, and I think she's going to need to talk to 'Lizbeth. It's probably best if you keep Sammy with you. Alright, yeah. I'll talk to you later."

Danny's phone flipped shut with a snap and he grabbed his jacket out of the locker room before heading to Lindsay's. He was going to calm her down at least a little before Elizabeth got home.

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

When the knock on the door rang through the apartment, Lindsay was surprised. She wiped away her tears and composed herself before opening the door. "Danny," she said with a faux smile, "what are you doing here?"

Danny took in her red rimmed eyes and tear-stained face and immediately enveloped her in a hug.

Lindsay wiggled out of his embrace and frowned at him. "What was that for?"

He gave her an impish smile. "You looked like you needed a hug," he said playfully.

Lindsay frowned in confusion until she remembered her words from when Danny had first told her about Grace. "Ha ha, Messer, you're a real riot."

"I try," Danny said humbly. He thought it would be best if he didn't acknowledge her obvious tears. She was upset enough as it was.

Lindsay stepped aside to allow him to enter her apartment. "What are you doing here?" she asked, repeating her earlier question.

"I thought you could use some company," Danny said. He knew she knew he was lying, but the question was: was she going to call him on it?

Lindsay looked away from his challenging gaze and let her eyes drift to look through her apartment. In the three days since her children had showed up, the clean, barely lived in apartment had become a messy, lived in home. Tears welled in her eyes and she turned, willing them away. It didn't work.

Danny watched as huge tear leaked out of Lindsay's eye and made its way down her cheek. "Mon—Lindsay," he said, pulling her into his arms.

Lindsay shook her head, backing away. She couldn't. Taking deep breaths, she pushed away the tears and stood up straight. "I need to call Stella and Mac."

"Already taken care of," Danny said. Off her look, he explained, "I called them when you left the lab. They're dropping Elizabeth off and taking Sam for a little while."

Lindsay paused. She wasn't sure whether to be offended that he didn't think she could take care of herself or pleased that he'd thought of it. Deciding on the latter, she offered him a small smile. "Thanks."

"You wanna tell me what that was all about?" Danny asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Lindsay's eyes warned him off.

"Was it the phone call from your mom?" Danny prodded. "Did she have some bad news?"

Lindsay, seeing he wasn't going to let it go, plopped down on the couch with a sigh. "I kind of wondered how Sam and Lizzie got away, you know. I figured that Lizzie came up with some clever scheme. I just never occurred to me that…"

Danny sat beside her on the couch. "What?" he asked.

"Charles, their dad, is suing me for custody…or so he says. He had them, and that's how they got here without alerting or worrying anyone." She put her head in her hands. "I didn't even know they were with him and they've been there for a month." She felt like the worst mother in the whole world.

Danny tried his hand with comforting her. "Well, you were in New York. There's no way you could have known."

Lindsay turned her head. "Yeah…that's the problem." Her wide eyes were so sad. "Charles would never hurt a fly, but he's not really father material. Mom says he's trying to turn over a new leaf because…because he's getting married and his fiancé is pregnant."

Danny watched as a myriad of emotions played across Lindsay's face: pain, anger, jealousy, and sadness. He wasn't sure what to say so he just took her hand in a silent offer of comfort and strength.

Lindsay thought about yanking her hand back, but decided against it. "He left for L.A. last week to help his fiancé pack for her big move to Montana. When he got back yesterday, the girls were…not there obviously. He freaked out but decided to take the coward's way out and call my mom twenty-four hours after he found out."

"Well," Danny started.

"If you're about to make an excuse for him, I would advise against it. He can't just breeze in and out of our lives for fourteen years before deciding to put down roots in _my_ town. Who does he think he is? Elizabeth and Samantha are my kids. He has no legal rights…his name isn't even on the birth certificate!"

Lindsay's grip on Danny's hand became steadily tighter as she continued her rant. "He had no right to take my daughters away from their grandparents' house, and he had no right not to tell me!"

A knock on the door stopped Lindsay from going any further in her angry outburst.

When Danny opened the door, Elizabeth breezed by him with a carefree grin. "You would _not_ believe what Sammy did," she said, her eyes sparkling.

Her smile was infectious and Danny couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "What'd she do?" he asked.

"She totally…" Elizabeth trailed off, having caught sight of her mom's face.

Danny gently turned her to face him. "Focus, Lil Montana. What did Sammy do?"

Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder before turning back to Danny, her eyes a lot more dull. "She poured soda on Mac when he called her short…what's going on?"

Danny was amused that Sam would actually do such a thing, but he could tell Elizabeth was worried about her mom. "Uh, I'll leave you ladies to it."

Lindsay smiled at Danny and his caring attitude toward her daughter. "I'll call you later," she offered.

"I'll be waiting," Danny promised.

When the door was shut behind him, Lindsay turned the lock on habit before turning to Elizabeth. "Have fun?" she asked, plastering a fake smile on her face.

Elizabeth stared at her mom. "What's going on?"

Lindsay leaned against the counter. "Well, your grandmother called me today," she said casually.

Comprehension dawned on Elizabeth and she pulled herself onto the counter beside where her mom was leaning. There was a long stretch of silence before Elizabeth's quiet voice broke it. "He was promising all kinds of things, and it was really great," she said quietly, "…at first."

Lindsay bowed her head, wishing she could've gotten a hold of Charles. His empty promises and half-assed attempts to salvage the ruins of his relationship with his daughter always left Elizabeth with a greater, more cynical view on life. It was hard, as a mother, to see Elizabeth pull into herself after visits with her dad. "I'm sorry," Lindsay said, putting her hand on Elizabeth's.

Elizabeth so wanted her mom to pull her into her arms like she was five again. Instead, she pulled her hand away and slid from the countertop. "Oh, well. Now he's getting another kid and another chance. Maybe this time he won't screw it up."

"Lizzie—"

"No, mom," Elizabeth interrupted. "I'm not Lizzie anymore, and you don't need to be sorry for the things dad does. For me, this was his last chance. I'm over it. I think he is growing up though. Valarie is nice and doesn't take crap from him, and he seems to really love her."

It was hard to hear that. Lindsay knew things between her and Charles were unsalvageable, but it hurt to know that someone else could make him settle down and be the father and husband that he could never be with her and her kids. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly.

"Nope," Elizabeth said. She reached into the newly stocked fridge and pulled out an apple. "So…what did Nana actually tell you?"

"That he was supposedly suing me for custody, and that you were there for almost a month," Lindsay said. She studied the young girl as she casually bit into the apple.

"It was pretty great those first couple of weeks," Elizabeth said. She bit into the apple and held it with her teeth as she pulled out the Kool Aid. Setting the pitcher on the table, she finished the bite and swallowed. "We went to the Wheat Festival. The carnival was fun…as always. We ate, we played fun games, he threw up…and I got my first period."

Lindsay was laughing at Charles's inability to hold anything in her stomach after a carnival ride when she realized what Elizabeth had said. "You…you got your first period?" she asked.

Elizabeth nodded. "It was so mortifying. My stomach and back had been _killing_ me all day, but I just thought it was from walking around and eating too much junk food. But then, when I went to the bathroom…I thought dad was going to have a heart attack. He bought enough tampons and pads to last a year."

Lindsay hugged her daughter. "Oh, baby, I wish I could have been there."

Elizabeth shrugged. "It was no big deal." Her throat constricted and she turned away to put the pitcher back into the refrigerator.

Lindsay studied her, feeling once more like she had failed her children. "Lizzie—"

"Don't call me that," Elizabeth said automatically. She tossed the apple core into the trash and picked up her glass. "Shall we take this oh-so-meaningful talk into the living room?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes and sighed, following her eldest daughter into the living room. "So what else happened while you were with your dad?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "He took us out to eat every night he was home, and we always went to the GPs for Sunday dinner…He bought everything we asked, and Valarie visited about two weeks into our stay and talked about being a family and stuff. Dad really loves her so I think mostly he was just doing what she wanted."

"She wanted to take you away from me?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease. I don't think dad was ever going to seriously take us away. He just heard you ran away to join the circus."

"I didn't run away," Lindsay said.

Elizabeth shrugged and studied the muted t.v. A rerun of _Prison Break_ was on. "Fine. Your _relocation_."

"Not funny," Lindsay said.

"It's kinda funny," Elizabeth said. "I know you're upset about this dad thing, but maybe you should just call him. He's not really a bad guy. He just wanted out and when he got out, he didn't want to come back."

Lindsay shook her head. "That is so not what happened. He was running."

Elizabeth lazily turned her head and gave her mom a pointed look that clearly said _You're one to talk._

"I was not running, and you'll understand that one day," Lindsay said, standing up and stretching.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and unmuted the t.v. "In the meantime, I'm going to rot my brain with lots of television."

"You will rot your brain at night," Lindsay agreed, "but during the day, you will be studying."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "Studying what?"

"You tell me. You're the one that failed the seventh grade." Lindsay glared at her daughter.

"Whatever."

TBC…So, I was looking up Bozeman on the internet to see how big the town was that Lindsay lived in...gotta say, it's huge compared to the town I live in...my town has a little under 4,000 people...her town had over 25,000. That's small compared to New York, but big compared to where I live. The emotional roller coaster here was fun. I was working it from the teenage angle in the end...Elizabeth wants her mom to be her mom, but she's caught between wanting to be her mom's baby and being an independent, righteously angry teenager.


	8. Of Hair Pulling and Destruction

**Parental Obligations: Of Hair Pulling and Destruction**

Elizabeth woke up to the feeling of being watched. It was a feeling she had woken up to for the past month since she'd been in New York with her mom. "Don't even think about it." She cracked her eyes open just in time to see Grace's wide eyes before she slipped off the back of the couch.

Elizabeth quickly sat up and leaned to look over the back of the couch. Grace had jumped up. "I'm okay," she said loudly. Her lip was trembling and she tried really hard not to cry, but it didn't work out too well.

"Aww, sweetie." Elizabeth reached over the back of the couch and pulled Grace into her arms.

Poor Grace started crying and rubbing her right leg.

Elizabeth looked over at the clock on the VCR and sighed. It was 10 a.m. Why couldn't Grace sleep until noon? Stella and Mac had dropped her off sometime in the night. Lindsay woke Hannah, the girls' babysitter, from her apartment two floors up and had her come downstairs to their apartment before she left. It was something that had occurred quite often when they were needed on a case in the middle of the night.

Stepping over Hannah who was lightly snoring on the floor in front of the television, Elizabeth carried Grace into the kitchen. "Hungry?"

"Yeah," Grace said tearfully.

Putting Grace into a chair at the table, Elizabeth opened the refrigerator and looked inside. "How about eggs, biscuits, and…"

"Bacon!" Grace filled in, over her small injury.

"And bacon," Elizabeth agreed, turning back to Grace, who had crawled onto the table. "You know the rules, Gracie. You are not allowed to sit on the table. You have to sit in a chair like a big girl."

Grace pouted when Elizabeth lifted her off the table and onto the chair.

"Is Sam awake?" Elizabeth asked, already knowing the answer.

"Nope," Grace said cheerfully, standing up and staring at Elizabeth's back defiantly as she carefully lifted her knee onto the table.

"You should know by now that I have eyes in the back of my head," Elizabeth said, turning around and giving Grace a mock-glare. "Why don't you go and wake Hannah up?"

Grace slid back down so that she was seated in the chair. "Nuh uh," Grace said, shaking her head emphatically.

Elizabeth hid a grin. Hannah was a typical teen, sleeping as late as possible, and she got really crabby when woken up.

Of course, Sam, who never woke earlier than eight and no later than eleven, always managed to wake Hannah up without angering her in any way.

It helped that the Sam didn't pull her hair like Grace had a habit of doing. "Fine. Wake Sammy up. She'll play with you."

"No, she won't," Grace said. She rolled her eyes and tugged on her Blue's Clues pajamas. She didn't understand why Elizabeth was trying to get her in trouble with her very best friend in the whole wide world.

Elizabeth gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. We'll make toast instead of biscuits and you can help."

"Yes!" Grace pumped her arms and leaped off the chair.

Elizabeth barely caught her before she landed on the floor. "You need to be careful or you'll make with the leaping and falling and hurting," she warned the little girl.

Grace shrugged and Elizabeth put her on the counter beside the toaster. "I 'member how to do it," she said irritably when Elizabeth tried to explain things to her.

"Right. I forget that you're our little chef," Elizabeth commented, pulling out a bowl to scramble eggs in, along with a whisk.

Grace sang softly to herself and pretty soon, Elizabeth joined in, waking Hannah in the living room. She stumbled into the room, her long brown hair hanging in her face.

"Hannah Banana!" Grace exclaimed cheerfully. "I'm making bre'fast all by myself!" She pouted slightly when Hannah raised her eyebrows. "Fine. Lizard's helpin' me."

"Don't call me Lizard," Elizabeth said, giving her a disgruntled look as Hannah stared at the empty coffee maker with a frown. She had never been allowed to drink coffee, but sometimes she really wished she could.

"Yeah," Hannah echoed, "and don't call me Hannah Banana." Her long brown hair was tangled and Grace's hand itched to pull it. She wasn't sure why, but that always made her feel better. It may have been how soft Hannah's hair was, but it also may have had something to do with the high pitched squeal that never failed to come after a particularly hard tug.

"Grace, the toast popped up," Elizabeth said, standing in front of her with a suspicious look. She always knew when Grace was getting ready to make Hannah's life hell.

Grace pouted and reached for the toast. Elizabeth leaned in and whispered in her ear, causing Grace to giggle and nod.

Elizabeth turned away with a smirk as she continued with the breakfast making activities. For the past five weeks, since she had been in town, Sam and Grace had become the best of friends, Grace being Sam's voice when the little girl's shyness was too much to overcome. Sam was Grace's silent, always innocent, partner in crime.

New York had very easily become home, and Danny had been a huge factor in that. It was obvious he cared a great deal for Lindsay, but she kept him at a distance. That didn't stop him and Elizabeth from bonding over everything from action packed movies to sugar filled, cavity giving cereals.

The three females sat in relative silence until a small crash, followed by a cry, sounded from the bedroom. "Watch the eggs and makes sure Grace doesn't test your trust too soon," Elizabeth said, running to the bedroom.

Hannah looked at the eggs sitting on the counter. "Are they going to do a trick?" she asked under her breath. Apparently, Elizabeth had forgotten that she hadn't even started cooking yet. Her eyes slid to Grace, who was watching Hannah, the look on her face obviously wondering whether or not she could get away with jumping. "Don't even think about it."

Grace sighed when Hannah moved to stand in front of her. She wouldn't be able to go check on Sammy unless she asked Hannah nicely if she could _please_ help her down. You always had to say please with Hannah. "Can I touch your hair?" Grace asked, batting her eyelashes innocently, "Pretty please?"

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

Sam had fallen off the bed…again. It wasn't really a daily occurrence, but it happened pretty often. She was used to the wall that had been on the left side of her bed back in Montana.

"It's okay, sweetie," Elizabeth said, pulling Sam into her arms. Having been on the receiving end of such a wakeup call, she knew it wasn't a pleasant way to wake up.

Sam cried softly, and Elizabeth made soothing sounds as she bounced her slightly. It was something of a routine for them. Before leaving Montana, Sam had had a lot of nightmares and Elizabeth was always there to soothe away her tears. Thankfully, though, this wasn't due to any nightmares.

"You okay?" Elizabeth asked, looking down into Sam's little face.

Sam nodded into her shirt, sniffing.

"Let's go see if Grace managed to convince Hannah to let her play with her hair again," Elizabeth suggested, nudging the little girl.

Sam nodded decisively and Elizabeth wiped her face.

When they got into the kitchen, Sam was actually a little disappointed to see that Hannah was calmly cooking eggs at the stove while Grace sloppily buttered toast.

Elizabeth hid a grin at the disappointed look on Sam's face. For some inexplicable reason, the girls really like to pick on Hannah.

"When is Stella coming?" Hannah asked, glancing at Elizabeth as the younger girl poured Sam some orange juice before starting the bacon.

Elizabeth shrugged. "Two, I think." Stella had become Elizabeth's favorite person, like, ever. Her sense of humor rivaled any Elizabeth had seen before and she still managed to be a stern mother when called for. Of course, it helped that Stella was so easy to talk to.

Plus, Mac was kinda hot and he was usually always with her.

Grace cleared her throat. "Umm, excuse me," she said politely, "but I don't wanna do this anymore."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes good-naturedly and held Grace's hands as the little girl pushed herself off the counter. Elizabeth refused to completely lower her to the floor until Grace begged through her giggles.

Once both on the floor, the girls ran into the living room, Grace talking excitedly about building a fort while Sam stayed silent and nodded along.

Elizabeth looked at the unopened package of bacon. "How about we just have egg sandwiches? I have a feeling they're going to destroy the living room if we leave them alone for any amount of time."

Hannah shrugged agreeably. She really didn't see why they even needed a babysitter. Elizabeth was perfectly able to do it all herself.

By the time breakfast was over and the girls were finished playing, the room was a complete mess. The pillows and blankets used for the fort were scattered all over the room.

"I'll help," Sam said sweetly when Hannah started picking up the pillows.

Hannah, knowing from experience how sulky Sam tended to get when told that it was "okay," allowed her to help.

"Wanna go pick out your clothes for today?" Elizabeth asked Grace.

Grace nodded with a wide grin. She loved to pick out her own clothes and sometimes, Sam even let her pick out _her_ clothes.

Elizabeth led Grace into the only bedroom and to the closet, which had been, thankfully, organized so the girls' clothes could fit.

Elizabeth paused when the doorbell rang and heard muffled voices. When Sam screamed at the top of her little lungs, Elizabeth, acting on impulse, pushed Grace into the closet. "Don't come out until your mom comes home," she said urgently, before closing the door and moving toward the door that led to the living room.

Grace crouched in the closet, her heart beating violently in her chest. Elizabeth hadn't closed the closet door all the way and Grace could see a man through the crack.

"Uncle Kenny," Elizabeth said, trying to keep her voice level.

Kenneth Manchetti was holding Sam in his arms, a gun held casually in his hand. It wasn't pointed at either of them, but it didn't stop the fear from gripping Elizabeth's heart. "Hey, darlin.' Long time, no see."

"Yeah, well, that happens when you ruin a family," Elizabeth said, her voice breaking despite herself. She was trying not to look at Sam's face, which was streaming with tears.

"I didn't ruin any family," Kenneth reminded her. "You were a brat, but I never stopped loving you. We need to show your mom that we're still a family."

"Are you kidding me? We are not a family, Kenny," Elizabeth said.

Kenneth's eyes turned cold. "We _are_ a family, Elizabeth, and you need to come with me so we can brainstorm exactly how we can convince your mom of that."

Elizabeth looked between Kenneth and Sam, careful not to look anywhere near the closet. There was no way out of it. She had to go with him.

TBC…I think that was suspenceful enough. Tell me what you think!


	9. Of Fear and Smart Mouths

**Parental Obligations: Of Fear Smart Mouths**

Mac felt his blood run cold when he heard Lindsay's address over the police scanner. He immediately turned on his lights and headed toward the apartment building while Danny, who was in the passenger seat, called Lindsay.

They got there seconds before the ambulance and Mac took the stairs two at a time, Danny close behind him. They burst into the apartment with their guns drawn and Grace immediately threw herself into Mac's arms.

"Daddy," Grace sobbed.

Mac held her close as she cried. Danny and another officer checked the rest of the rest of the apartment while the paramedics loaded Hannah onto a stretcher and wheeled her out.

It was the first time Grace called him daddy and it was tainted by the fact that two girls were missing and another one was being taken to the hospital.

Danny emerged from the bedroom with his gun holstered. "There's no one else here, Mac," he said. "Elizabeth and Samantha are nowhere in this apartment."

"Where the hell are they?" Lindsay asked from the doorway. Her voice shook as she looked at the small amount of blood on the floor.

"Gracie," Mac said gently, "can you tell me what happened?"

Grace pulled away and looked up at him with luminous green eyes. "A man came and then he had a gun and 'Lizbeth told him he's not her family and he made them go with him and Hannah wouldn't wake up so I called 911."

"Made them go…?" Lindsay said faintly.

Danny was by her side in an instant, leading her to a chair.

"Who took my kids, Danny?" Lindsay asked, looking into his eyes.

He so wanted to give her all the answers, but he couldn't. "I don't know, Montana," he said, pushing her hair aside, "but we'll catch him."

Lindsay felt like something was squeezing her heart and she couldn't breathe. Her mind had gone blank and all she could think of was the fact that they were gone, possibly dead.

Stella entered the apartment. "Grace?" she said fearfully.

"Mommy!"

Stella sighed in relief as she swept Grace up in her arms. She had come as soon as she heard.

Over Grace's head, Stella and Mac's eyes met, both filled with unspoken fears. They had both thought the worst. After he received the silent comfort he needed, Mac turned away and walked over to Lindsay and Danny.

"Lindsay?" he said quietly.

Lindsay looked up at him. Her big brown eyes were glazed over with unshed tears and she looked like she was moments away from a complete breakdown.

"I have reason to believe that…that Elizabeth knows whoever did this," he said quietly.

"Mac," Lindsay half-sobbed, "Elizabeth has only been in the city for a month. She never gets a chance to meet anyone new."

"She called him Uncle Kenny," Mac said.

Lindsay felt all the air escape her lungs. Spots filled her vision moments before all went black.

"_Who's this young lady?" Kenneth Manchetti asked, a half grin making him look devastatingly handsome._

_Nine-year-old Elizabeth giggled. "I'm Elizabeth," she said in a cheerful, friendly tone._

_Kenneth glanced over at his very pregnant girlfriend. They had only been dating for a few months, but they had both agreed that it was time to meet the daughter. "I'm Kenneth, but you, little lady, can call me Uncle Kenny."_

_Lindsay rolled her eyes good-naturedly when Kenneth theatrically kissed Elizabeth's hand. Despite his rugged appearance, he was quite handsome and could charm just about anyone._

_She laughed slightly when her baby kicked. Things were starting to look up._

"I think she's starting to come to," Danny said. He lightly slapped Lindsay's cheeks and her eyes fluttered open.

Lindsay looked up at him in confusion before comprehension dawned on her and she squeezed her eyes shut. "He's never going to let us go," she whispered.

Danny gave Mac a worried look. "Who isn't going to let you go, Montana?"

Lindsay slowly reopened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling of her kitchen. "Kenny. Kenneth Manchetti. My ex-fiancé."

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

Elizabeth sighed quietly. "You do realize she isn't going to take you back, right? Kidnapping someone's kids isn't really a catalyst for fluffy feelings…at least not on our end. I mean, sure, some people—"

"Elizabeth," Kenneth snapped. "Shut up."

Elizabeth sighed again. Sam had cried herself to sleep and was lying against Elizabeth's left side. Elizabeth was handcuffed to the bed frame so she could get some sleep. Right. It was barely even one. She had just woke up about three hours before. How was she supposed to sleep?

Kenneth had no problems sleeping, apparently. He was stretched out on a cot beside the door. Nuh uh. He scared Elizabeth and Sam, and Elizabeth wasn't going to let that go.

"I'm hungry," she complained, even though she had absolutely no inclination to eat.

"Dinner's at six," Kenneth said without opening his eyes. "I'll get you a snack in a couple of hours. Now _shut up!_"

Elizabeth went silent and stayed that way…for about three minutes. She gave him just enough time to drift to that peaceful place between waking and sleeping before she spoke again. "Do you have a book or TV or something?"

Kenneth's eyes popped open and he sat up quickly.

Elizabeth smiled innocently at him and shrugged. "A girl gets a little bored." Inside, she was frantically trying to work on a way out. When he went to sleep, that would give her the perfect opportunity. First, she needed a plan though.

Kenneth growled to himself before leaving the room for a few seconds. He returned minutes later with a Gameboy, a book, and a magazine. "Now. You will be quiet or I will give you a reason to make noise. Do you understand me?"

Lindsay's mouth snapped shut from the demand of water she was about to give. She silently nodded and picked up the book. _Peter Pan_. She had already read it. Twice. Of course, a book wasn't good unless it made you want to read it again and again.

Shrugging to herself, she opened it and began reading it again. The escape plan would have to wait, as she didn't have a plan and Kenneth was clearly insane.

Sam stirred against her and Elizabeth froze. "Sister?" Sam murmured, her eyes opening a little.

"Yeah, sweetie?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"'M thirsty," Sam whispered, wiggling a little. "And I have to potty."

"Can you hold it?" Elizabeth whispered, pulling at the cuffs with no results. At least her left hand was free.

The look on Sam's face clearly said she couldn't hold it for long.

"Hey!" Elizabeth said. Kenneth didn't stir so she threw the magazine at him.

Kenneth woke to something hitting him in the face and came up with the gun pointed straight at the girls.

Elizabeth moved in front of Sam. Although she was fairly certain Kenneth didn't plan to kill them, she didn't want to chance it. "Sam's gotta pee."

Kenneth took his finger off the trigger and loosened his grip on the gun. "Dammit," he cursed. "You crazy little—come on."

Sam cried out when Kenneth tried to pick her up. She moved further behind Elizabeth.

"Sam," Elizabeth said quietly. "You're going to have to be brave. He's not going to hurt you." She knew that much.

Kenneth picked Sam up and she allowed him although she wiggled until he put her down, taking her hand and leading her to the bathroom. He propped a chair against the doorknob so she couldn't get out until he let her before going back into the bedroom.

"What the hell is your problem? Why won't you let me sleep?"

"Uh, hello?" Elizabeth said. "Being kidnapped wasn't on today's agenda. Maybe next time you should call ahead and I'll tell you what day will offer me the most comfort."

Kenneth slapped her. "You're just as mouthy as ever," he said with a certain amount of amazement. "You were so sweet when we first met."

"Well, I guess when you really get to know some people, they're not at all like they first seem," Elizabeth said with a meaningful glare. Her cheek hurt like hell but it just fuelled her anger. It didn't stop her urge to cry though. She hadn't been hit like that since Kenneth had left two years earlier.

"All I want is for us to be a family again," Kenneth said quietly. His face softened. "I love you. That's why I do this. You need the discipline."

"I'm plenty disciplined, thank you. You don't get to decide what punishments I do and don't get." Her glare was nasty. "You're not my father."

"You're father never wanted you," Kenneth snapped.

"Maybe not," Elizabeth said, "but at least he's a good man."

"He's not a good man," Kenneth scoffed. "A good man doesn't leave his kids."

"He's twice the man you'll ever be," Elizabeth said quietly.

When Kenneth finally led Sam back into the bedroom, Elizabeth was passed out cold. "Your sister needed to take a little nap," Kenneth said gently. "You're not going to try anything, are you? I don't need to tie you up, do I?"

Sam silently shook her head, her eyes never leaving Elizabeth's still form. There was blood leaking from a cut on Elizabeth's left cheekbone and her eye looked a little swollen.

"Great," Kenneth said cheerfully. "Why don't you lay up there beside big sis?"

Sam quietly climbed onto the bed, laying her head on Elizabeth's chest and listening to the steady heartbeat. Kenneth watched the sisters, a little disconcerted by Sam's silent gaze.

He hadn't seen them since Sam was two, Elizabeth eleven. It felt like a lifetime, and he had missed them all, including Lindsay, dreadfully.

TBC…Ugh. I hate Kenneth. So I was sitting here thinking...I need to write some more. Then I realized that I already had another chapter written and all I needed to do was post it.


	10. Of Past Grievances

**Parental Obligations: Of Past Grievances**

Lindsay sat with her head in her hands. She felt so lost. Kenneth Manchetti was the source of a great deal of pain in her life.

Although he had helped her raised Sam until she was two, and the little girl had called him 'Daddy,' he had never seemed to like Elizabeth after the initial meet and greet.

It was always one thing or another that had him ranting and raving about her. Lindsay ignored it because Elizabeth always gave as good as she got. Sometimes even Lindsay had to take a deep breath and possibly a small break from the girl.

"Hey, Linds," Danny said quietly.

Lindsay looked up at him with sad eyes. "When can I get back into my apartment?" she asked hoarsely.

"It's a crime scene for now, but I don't think you should be there for tonight. It might be a little too upsetting." It was for him. His heart was so heavy with thoughts of Elizabeth and Samantha being hurt…or worse…

"He's not going to hurt Sam," Lindsay said, reading Danny's thoughts. A tear slipped down her face and she impatiently wiped it away. "She was his little princess even before she was born. He won't hurt her and he most definitely…probably…won't kill Elizabeth."

Danny looked at her in silent alarm and she laughed as a sob tore through her chest.

Lindsay tried not to break down, but she kept replaying the last time she had seen Kenneth. "Elizabeth was a good girl, but she had a problem with authority and other people—new people—entering her territory when she was certain they didn't fit. Kenneth…he was a good man, I'm sure, but he hated that Elizabeth didn't like him."

Danny put his arm around her when her breathing became laboured. "It's okay. Shhh."

"It's not okay," Lindsay sobbed. "It's all my fault." She struggled to control her breathing. "The reason I left was because Kenneth was beating Elizabeth." She put her hands over her face as her body shook with great, heaving sobs. "He was beating her for who knows how long before I came home early from work and caught him."

Danny pulled her to his chest and held her as she cried. He went over the words and his eyes held a newfound steely resolve. He had to find the girls before something happened to them.

Lindsay took a deep breath and pushed herself away from Danny's chest. She wiped her face and pushed Danny's hand away when he reached out to move her hair away from her face. "It's my fault that he took my girls," she said, "and it's my job to get them back. I'm their mother, and I need to make sure they're safe."

Danny watched her pull herself together before his eyes. She was going to find her kids, and she was going to knock over anyone that stood in her way.

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

"Dammit, Elizabeth," Kenneth growled as he slammed around the kitchen. "Would you shut the hell up?"

Elizabeth groaned pitifully. "You hand cuffed me to a chair. My face hurts, thanks to you, and Sammy wants to color. No, I most certainly will _not_—you know what? I think I'll shut up now." She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to look down the barrel of the gun Kenneth had shoved in her face.

Sam whimpered, her eyes large with fear as she stared at the man pointing a gun in her sister's face. She didn't remember him or the fact that he was who she had called Daddy for the first years of her life. It wouldn't have mattered, considering he was threatening to kill her sister before her eyes.

"You're scaring Sammy," Elizabeth whispered, not opening her eyes.

"Are you going to keep your big trap shut?" Kenneth asked, taking a small amount of pleasure in the obvious fear in Elizabeth's voice.

"Yes," Elizabeth said.

"Yes…?"

Elizabeth licked her lips and opened her eyes. She stared up at him. "Yes, sir."

Kenneth grinned, making him look like the handsome man Lindsay had fallen for and her daughters had accepted as a paternal figure. "Okay, then. So…soda and chips will do for now, I think. For supper, we'll have hot dogs and Mac and Cheese, just like old times."

Elizabeth kept her mouth shut as she watched him open a bag of corn chips and pour three cups of soda.

"That good?" Kenneth asked as he put the chips and soda on the table.

"Do you have any salsa?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"Right. Salsa." Kenneth thought about it. "No, but I do have some cheese we can melt onto the chips."

Elizabeth and Sam watched as he poured chips onto a plate, sliced cheese on top of them, and heated it up in the microwave.

Kenneth placed the hot plate in the middle of the table. "Dig in," he said.

They stared at him, and Elizabeth pointedly rattled the cuffs against the chair.

Kenneth smiled slightly. "You have to give me your word you're not going to try anything," he said patronizingly. "I will have my gun ready, and I will hurt you, if not kill you."

"And we don't want that," Elizabeth said, not a trace of sarcasm in her tone. "I promise I won't try anything."

Snack time was almost completely silent except for the sound of Kenneth crunching his chips. Neither one of the girls were really hungry, but Sam ate because she was afraid Kenneth would shoot her if she didn't eat his food. Elizabeth ate to encourage Sam. The little girl was obviously very frightened.

"Done?" Kenneth asked once the plate was devoid of any chips.

Elizabeth silently nodded and took a deep drink of her soda. Sam didn't touch hers. She wasn't usually allowed to drink soda, especially not in a glass. Her cups of soda were usually plastic and really small.

"We can watch some TV. for a while," Kenneth said. "And I'll be having some friends over so you two have to be on your best behavior."

Elizabeth glanced at Sam. The little girl couldn't seem to keep her eyes off the gun that was sticking out of Kenneth's pants.

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

Mac put his arm around Stella in a rare show of public affection. At work, they didn't really show any kind of affection, but it was a special case. They were both having problems dealing. "How's Hannah?" he murmured.

"She's fine. Looks like he slammed the butt of the gun into her head to knock her out. We got a pretty good imprint, but all we can really get out of it is that it's a pistol." She sighed and clicked her mouse a few times.

Mac rested his hand on the back of her neck and let his fingers rub soothing patterns. "And Grace?"

Stella glanced over to the bench where Grace was curled, asleep. "She cried herself to sleep. Seeing her friends kidnapped wasn't really good for her mental well-being," she snapped, giving him an irritated look.

Mac pursed his lips. Stella was pretty upset, but she hadn't stopped working since they had found out what had happened. "Stella, maybe you should take Grace home and rest."

Stella gave him a dirty look and pulled completely away from his grasp. "Mac, the only reason Grace wasn't either knocked out like Hannah or taken like Elizabeth and Samantha is because _Elizabeth_ put her in a closet. That girl that protected our daughter, the girl that we have been bonding with for the past month, has been _kidnapped_. Excuse me, but I would like to get her back so I can at least thank her."

Mac moved so they were only an inch or so apart. He didn't want anyone to overhear their conversation after all. "You think I don't want that too? We're going to have to put some distance between us and our involvement in Sam and Elizabeth's lives. Danny's talking to Lindsay, but mostly we just have to go with what we have. And all we have at this point are Grace, Hannah, and Lindsay."

Stella sighed deeply and leaned her head against Mac's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice tight with pent up emotion, "I'm just…"

"Worried," Mac filled in. "I know." He put his hands on her arms and pushed her away so he could look into her eyes. "We're going to find them, and we're going to put this guy away. I'm going to talk to Lindsay right now. She can't be allowed to work on this case for obvious reasons, and I was hoping she would take Grace."

Stella nodded with a tight smile. All she really wanted to do was go into Mac's arms, knowing everyone she loved was safe.

Mac reached up and cupped Stella's face in his strong hands. "Don't worry so much," he said, giving her a brief kiss.

Stella watched him walk away with a sigh before turning back to her pistol imprint. She clicked the mouse to zoom in and discovered an imprint in the imprint. A possible carving in the grip?

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

Sitting in a chair in Mac's office made Lindsay want to fidget. It was like being in the principal's office, only worse because he was more like an equal and they were there to talk about her daughters' kidnapping.

"Lindsay," Mac said, entering his office. He had been looking for her, but it hadn't occurred to him to go to his own office.

"Mac," Lindsay said, straightening.

Mac didn't go around to his seat. He pulled a chair beside Lindsay's and sat down. "You can't work on this case."

Lindsay's felt like her heart stopped. She had known that would happen, but she hated feeling helpless.

Mac looked at Lindsay, watching the emotions flash across her face. Having at least a small inkling of what she was feeling, he knew that she must have been feeling quite hopeless. "Lindsay, I know that you want to find them, but you have to know that we are working with everything we have. What we have right now is an imprint from the butt of a gun, and your testimony. Grace and Hannah have told us what they could, but we need to know what you know."

Lindsay slumped in her chair, her eyes squeezed shut against the emotions exploding inside. She felt sick, but she knew she wasn't going to be able to do anything about it. It was like a large stone was lodged in the pit of her stomach. "Kenneth Manchetti. I met him when I was five months pregnant with Samantha. When they first met, it seemed like Kenneth and Elizabeth got on alright. After that…" She opened her eyes and they shone with sadness and humor. "Saying they hated each other was an understatement and an exaggeration at the same time."

Lindsay scrubbed her hands over her face. "It was complicated. When we were dating, she was okay with it, but when things started looking serious, it's like a switch was flipped. She started saying the most awful things to him. I shrugged it off because he seemed to take it with enough humor. He asked me to marry him when Sam was eighteen months old. I didn't want to jump into anything, but I could seriously see myself settling down with him…so I said yes."

Mac listened stoically. He didn't really know the situation but he privately thought that maybe Elizabeth's dislike was backed up by something.

"After he asked me to marry him, Elizabeth calmed down a lot. She stopped trying to goad him into actually yelling at him and she actually started calling him sir." Tears leaked out of her eyes. "It never crossed my mind that he might have been forcing her to do those things. He was always so sweet and he was so great with Sam. I just thought maybe Elizabeth was just…a fluke. We had to delay Sam's second birthday party because she had chicken pox…" She covered her mouth to muffle the sobs. "I came home early from work to set up for a small get together with my parents so they could spoil her…"

"I knew there was something wrong when I walked into the house. Sam was asleep on the living room floor, but Elizabeth's radio was on and turned up all the way. When I opened the door to her room—"

Mac felt a sense of dread when she broke off. He really hoped she wasn't about to say what he thought she was going to say.

Lindsay struggled to get her breathing under control. "She was just standing there, barely even flinching when he hit her across her bare legs with his belt. He did it over and over until I pulled out my gun and told him to get out of my house. When I took Elizabeth to the doctor, they found bruises on top of bruises. I never knew. We moved three times to get away from him. I slept with a gun under my pillow, and I kept Elizabeth and Samantha in the room with me." She bowed her head. "A year ago, he found us. He called me and told me that he wanted me back."

It wasn't what he was thinking, but it was quite possibly just as bad.

"I couldn't do that, and I told him as much. He told me he would get me back, and he would take the girls…I didn't see much of a choice. I took the girls to my parents' house and came here." She wiped her face and sighed. "I was going to go get them when everything was straightened out, but…he didn't contact me again. I guess when they came I got too caught up in having my kids again that I forgot why I had left them in the first place."

Mac frowned. "Why didn't you tell me, Lindsay?"

Lindsay flinched at his harsh tone. "Because I was ashamed. My fiancé, the man that I thought I loved, _beat_ my daughter. I'm her mother, and I was supposed to protect her." Her voice broke. "And now it's happening all over again."

"You don't know that," Mac said soothingly.

"No, Mac, I do. Elizabeth has only gotten more mouthy since she hit the big 1-3, and, if she used to get to him that much, how far do you think she'll be able to push him now?"

**TBC…Oh, grrr. I wrote this about a week ago, but my internet got shut off...it's obviously back on, but I may need to send my computer in to get it fixed.**


	11. Of Emotions and Sadness

**Parental Obligations: Of Emotions and Sadness**

Elizabeth groaned as Kenneth's fist struck her face. "You do realize mom's going to take this out of your hide, right?" she said, her tongue darting out to get the blood on the corner of her mouth.

Kenneth sneered. Sometimes, he wasn't so sure why he ever put up with her in the first place. He should've just put everyone out of her misery long ago. "But darling," he crooned, "she knows I like it rough."

Elizabeth's stomach literally jerked. "That's gross. Besides, her current guy won't be liking that too much. He's kind of protective." She was tied to a chair in the middle of the bedroom that they had slept in the night before.

Kenneth paused, his fists curling and his knuckles crackling. He was ready to beat her into oblivion. "What was that?" he asked dangerously.

Elizabeth swallowed thickly. She could taste the blood in her mouth. She must look a sight. It had been a full twenty-four hours since she had been taken from her mom's apartment. Kenneth hadn't taken too kindly to her telling his "business associates" that he had kidnapped and beat her.

Apparently, he was an honest criminal. The kind that hired all kinds of dads looking for ways to keep their kids fed.

"You know, I think I'm feeling a bit delirious. Like maybe my brain has been rattled a little, ya know?" Elizabeth blinked slowly for effect.

Kenneth grabbed her pony tail. "_What_ did you say?" he asked, his minty fresh breath making Elizabeth's empty stomach revolt.

"Mom's dating someone," she said. "His name is Danny, and he can _so_ take you."

Kenneth hit her again, hard enough to knock her out. "I don't think so," he murmured. Glancing at the closet where he had locked Sam, he went to the bathroom and got a wet washcloth. Cleaning Elizabeth's face, he saw he was really going to have to make some kind of contact with Lindsay.

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

Lindsay's face was red and puffy from her night of crying. Danny silently handed her a cup of coffee and offered her a bowl of cereal. She had stayed at his place, but he, even though it almost killed him to hear her crying, had stayed on the couch all night while she stayed in his bedroom.

"No thanks," Lindsay said, taking the cup.

"You know, I don't think you should be alone today," Danny said.

Lindsay stared into the dark coffee. "I don't think it will really matter," she said flatly.

Danny's heart twisted. Her voice sounded so lifeless. "Lindsay," he said gently, moving in front of her. He lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. "We're going to find them, and you need to stay strong for when we do. You need to stay safe so we can kick this guy's ass."

Lindsay felt miserable looking into his adamant eyes. He was so optimistic, and he had so much hope. "Danny, my babies are out there, and I need to get them back. I'm so close to going out and searching for them. I didn't know he was in New York, but I'm sure I could find him. I know where his sister lives, and I know he's doing this to get me back."

"So, what's your plan?" Danny asked, his grip on her chin firm as he held her gaze. She looked like she had given up hope, and that's one of the worst things you can do in a kidnapping case. "Are you going to go back to him, hoping he'll…what? Stop hitting Elizabeth if you be with him?"

Lindsay tried to turn away, but he wouldn't let her. She closed her eyes and a single tear squeezed past her defenses, falling down her face. "I don't know, but it's better than doing nothing," she whispered.

When Lindsay opened her eyes again, all her emotions were laid bare, completely within his sight. The windows to the soul. Her eyes had been shuttered for so long that the raw pain took his breath away. "It's not your fault," he said, his grip loosening so that he was cupping her chin rather than holding it.

Lindsay's breath caught and she struggled to get it back. He had pinpointed everything she was feeling in just that sentence. "I know," she choked out. "I do. I know."

"But you can't shake the feeling," Danny finished. "When we get her back, Elizabeth's going to kick your ass."

That brought Lindsay out of her self-absorbed misery. "No, she won't. She blamed _me_ the first time, and she was right."

Danny's hand fell, but he didn't back away. He found it hard to believe that Elizabeth would blame her mom for anything, much less something she had to have known wasn't her fault.

"She has never talked about it," Lindsay said. "She never told me how long it had been going on for. She never said anything, except that she was fine and that he had never touched her in a sexual way."

Danny sighed deeply. "I know you're her mom, but maybe she just needed to…process it on her own? I don't know, but I highly doubt she blamed you."

Lindsay wanted to believe him. She probably needed to believe him, for her own mental well-being, but she couldn't. "I should've protected her better," she finally said.

Danny stared at her in disbelief. Nothing he said had gotten through to her. "Come on," he finally said. "You can watch Grace, but you're going to have to do it at the lab or around the station. That way, you're surrounded by plenty of uniforms."

Lindsay grabbed Danny's arm when he started to turn away. "Thank you," she said genuinely. "I really needed that."

Danny pushed her hair behind her ear and stared into her red-rimmed eyes. For a brief moment, he actually got lost in them and she in his.

"I—I don't have any clothes to wear," Lindsay said, finally breaking the stare.

Danny smirked, despite the situation. "Why, Monroe, just what are you trying to say?"

Lindsay's face colored at the innuendo. "Not on your life, Messer," she said, releasing him from her grasp.

Danny's smirk faded. "I'll get you some clothes," he said. "You gonna be okay out here?"

Lindsay nodded gratefully and went through his cabinets for some crackers or something. He had no semblance of order, and everything was piled higgledy-piggledy into random places. Studying the motley assembly of cups and foods, Lindsay stood on her tip-toes to grab a box of crackers on a higher shelf.

Her cell phone rang as she finally got a hold on the box. Letting the box drop as she scrambled for the phone, she flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Lindsay."

"Let me talk to Elizabeth," Lindsay said immediately.

Kenneth laughed. "Lindsay," he said, as if his ex had been particularly naughty. "I'm hurt that you won't even say hi. Darling, we haven't talked in so long."

"Kenneth, let me talk to my daughter," Lindsay said, her voice shaking.

"You don't understand," Kenneth said, his voice like poisoned honey. "You don't have a leg to stand on. You don't get to—"

"'Ey, Montana," Danny called. "I found some clothes, but they look a little big." He entered the room, looking down at the jogging pants he was holding. "I'm not sure—" His words died in his throat when he saw Lindsay's face and the fact that she was on the phone.

Acting swiftly, Danny pulled out his phone and called Mac.

"Lindsay," Kenneth said. His voice broke. "I can't believe you would do this to me."

"Nononono," Lindsay cried as she heard the click on the other end of the line. "Kenneth!" She quickly called the number back, but it went straight to voice mail.

Danny watched as Lindsay crumbled to the floor as she tried to call Kenneth back. "He called her," he said as soon as Mac answered. "Manchetti. He called her."

Mac glanced at Stella, who was trying to dress Grace without waking her. "When?"

"Just now. I think he heard me talking to Lindsay, and I don't think he took it too well," Danny said quietly, turning away so Lindsay wouldn't hear him talking.

Lindsay quietly pushed herself up and took Danny's cell phone from his hand. "I have his number," she said strongly. "If he calls back, we can get his location."

Stella came to stand beside Mac, having given up trying to dress Grace when the little girl took a sloppy swing at her. He put it on speaker phone so Stella could hear the conversation. "What did he say, Lindsay?"

"He didn't say anything," Lindsay said. "I asked—demanded—to talk to Elizabeth, but he started to tell me that I couldn't make demands or something. Then Danny came in and he said that he couldn't believe I would do this to him and hung up. I think he'll call back."

Stella gave Mac a worried look. On the bed, Grace's eyes were squeezed shut, but her breathing was no longer steady and she was listening to every word the adults said.

"Lindsay, you need to get to the station. If he calls again, we'll have our best people on it."

"Mac, I don't think he was too happy with me," Lindsay said, her voice starting to tremble.

"Lindsay, we'll find them," Mac said gently.

Stella squeezed his hand. "Get to the station so we can bring those babies home," she said.

Lindsay flipped the phone shut and gave it back to Danny. "Let's go," she said without a backward glance. She needed to find her kids before it was too late.

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

Kenneth was feeling downright murderous. Elizabeth was out cold so she wasn't awake to make smart ass comments. He wished she was just so he would have something to hit.

"Shut the hell up!" Kenneth said, kicking the closet door.

Inside, Sam huddled against the far wall, trying to muffle her sobs. She wanted her mom. She wanted her sister to tell her everything was going to be okay. She wanted Grace to tell her stories about the paste at school. She wanted to be anywhere but there.

With a roar, Kenneth yanked open the door and plucked Sam up. "What part of shut up don't you understand?"

Sam squeezed her eyes shut tight and bit her lip. A sob wracked her little body.

Kenneth looked down at her face and almost dropped her in shock. He was horrified at himself. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry," he said, putting her on the bed. He backed away, feeling worse than ever when she curled up into a ball and tried to stop crying.

Pulling his gun out, he checked the clip and put it back in. He backed out of the room and locked the door. Then he slid down the wall and pulled his cell phone back out. She was making him crazy. Why wouldn't she just love him?

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

Lindsay's phone rang and she almost jumped out of her skin.

"Don't do anything to provoke him, alright?" Mac said firmly.

Lindsay nodded and answered. "Hello?"

"Lindsay," Kenneth said shakily.

Lindsay inhaled sharply. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I hate what you do to me," he whispered. "I hate this. Why can't you just love me?"

"Kenneth—" Her voice broke. "You hurt my baby."

On the other end of the line, Kenneth pulled his right knee to his chest and rested his forehead against it. "You don't understand," he said. "I tried for so long and I held my tongue. She's a good kid, but she just needs some straightening."

Lindsay's face contorted like she was in physical pain. She wanted to argue, but the whole 'don't provoke him' thing kind of contradicted that. "Kenneth," she said, "I understand you were angry at her, but you should have come to me. The way you punished Elizabeth is not the way I handle things."

"I know," Kenneth said, openly crying. "That's why I couldn't tell you. I know you're not capable of the punishment Lizzie needed."

Lindsay's hand fisted around the cell phone, her knuckles turning white. "Can I talk to her? Please, let me talk to her."

Kenneth shook his head and laughed through his tears.

The raw emotion surprised her, and the rough laugh made her want to cry. "What did you do?" she whispered.

"I tried to get her to stop, but she kept saying the most awful things," Kenneth said. "Said you were dating a guy…Danny. Was that him, Linds? She wasn't lying, was she?"

Lindsay's face crumbled. "Don't hurt her because of something I did!" she said, stomping her foot as she cried.

"I thought she was lying, but then…you just made me so mad, and Sammie wouldn't stop crying—"

"What did you do?" Lindsay yelled, her voice rising.

Mac exchanged worried looks with Danny. Stella was in his office with Grace. She was doing some work from his computer while Grace slept.

"I didn't do anything, but you don't know how bad I wanted to," Kenneth said, his voice cracking.

Lindsay didn't know what to do. On one hand, she didn't want him to hurt her daughters over something she had supposedly done. On the other, she didn't know what he would do to Elizabeth if he found out she had lied to him. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to love me!" Kenneth said. "Dammit, Lindsay, I've missed you so much."

Lindsay breathed in deeply. "I loved you, Kenneth. I was prepared to marry you, but you hurt my baby, my firstborn, my reason for living."

Kenneth slammed his fist into the floor. "You say loved, like it's the past tense. Lindsay, baby, you know that's not me. It was just—I love you, and I love Sammie and Elizabeth. Please."

Lindsay tried to stop her tears, but she couldn't. "Kenneth, I _need_ my babies back."

"Sammie is just as much mine as she is yours! I was there…I rocked her and I changed her diapers. Dada was her first word!"

"Kenneth," Lindsay whispered, "she doesn't even remember you. You're just another face, and, right now, you're the face that's terrorizing her and her sister."

There was a thump from inside the room, followed by a scream. "I gotta go," Kenneth said slowly, his hand automatically going to his gun.

"NO!" Lindsay said. "Kenneth, _don't_—" She stopped when she heard the click. She looked over at Mac and Danny with a frantic look in her eyes. "I heard Sammie scream. She screamed. Sammie doesn't scream. Oh, God."

Danny pulled her in his arms, and Mac turned away to talk to the tech who had been tracing the call. Over Lindsay's head, Danny saw Mac shake his head, lips pursed in frustration.

"We have to find them," Lindsay whispered. "He's crazy."

((((((((((CSI:NY))))))))))

When Kenneth entered the room, he found Elizabeth on the floor. Apparently, she had tried to get out of her restraints, and her chair had fallen over. Her hands and feet were bleeding from where the cuffs were cutting into them, and her head had struck the edge of the bed.

Kenneth swore as he hurriedly uncuffed her. Samantha was sobbing at the sight of her sister bleeding profusely from a large gash in her head. "Shhh," Kenneth said soothingly.

He left the room to get a rag and some bandages to stop the flow. The possibility of it being a trick did cross his mind, but, when he returned and she was still on the floor, he figured she was really injured.

The blood wouldn't stop, and the gash looked like it would definitely need medical attention.

Kenneth poured water on Elizabeth to wake her up. Elizabeth woke up crying. "Ow," she said, her voice clouded with tears.

"I think you have a concussion," Kenneth said gently, relieved that she was okay.

Elizabeth tried to stop crying so she could say something smart aleck-y, but it hurt too badly. "It hurts," she whimpered.

"I know." Kenneth scooped her up and put her on the bed. "Sammie, hold this to Lizzie's head while I go get some ice."

His paternal instincts having kicked in, he didn't think twice about leaving the door open. Elizabeth tried to sit up, but the dizziness made her sick.

Kenneth ran back when he heard Elizabeth getting sick. "What do I do now?" he whispered, backing out of the room to look for a towel. He had no idea what he was supposed to do about the pain or anything. He knew he couldn't take her to the hospital or he would get caught, but what if her brain was, like, bleeding or something?

"It's okay, Sammie," Elizabeth soothed. Sam's little body shook as she silently cried. "I'm gonna be fine." _Even if my head does hurt like hell…_

Out in the hall, Kenneth felt ill himself. Elizabeth was hurt badly, and she was comforting her sister. He retreated back into the kitchen and made a quick phone call.

TBC…I was trying to make Kenneth a little more humane even though I still really really hate him. WHERE ARE MY REVIEWS? So far, I've got, like, four reviews for chapter 10. I'm going to need more than that if you're really expecting an ending…


	12. Of Doctors and Guilt

**A/N: So this chapter is really really really, a thousand more reallys, short. Because I just randomly decided that I didn't want to write anymore. I've had a bad couple of days and I'm completely exhausted. So...you may not get a new chapter for, like, a week. I have a whole other fic in a whole other category that I need to finish or at least work on. I almost deleted every one of my stories because I was having a bad day. Then, when I woke up the next morning, I was really glad that I fell asleep before I actually got a chance to do it. So that's my explanation.**

**Parental Obligations: Of Doctors and Guilt**

Edward Howard had gotten his medical license pulled when he got caught giving out medications to anyone that had money. Since then, he had been taking any work he could get to get his family out of the financial hellhole they were in.

When the boss called, you came running. It was just something you did, whether it was from the chance of a nice payoff or from fear of getting a bullet between your eyes for disobedience. The boss had a bad temper.

Gripping his bag, he knocked on the apartment. The door was answered immediately, almost as if the boss had been waiting for him. "Boss," Edward said, nodding his head in acknowledgement.

Kenneth tried to keep the anxiety out of his eyes. "Come in, Ed." He opened the door wider to allow the other man access and shut and locked it when the man was in. "Back here."

Ed followed Kenneth into the room and almost dropped his bag in shock. Even though he was a bit crooked, his mind started taking in the injuries of the young girl laying on the bed. Her eyes were almost swelled shut and her face was a myriad of different colors. Add to that the fact that there was a blood soaked bandage and the girl looked well and thoroughly broken.

"She fell," Kenneth said. "She fell and I think she might have a concussion."

Ed kneeled beside the bed and noticed that the girl had a small version of herself curled up beside her, sleeping. "Miss?"

"I'm awake," Elizabeth muttered. "I wish I wasn't, but I'm awake."

Ed smiled slightly and used his pen light to test her reactions. It was difficult because of how swelled her face was, but he managed to get the right reactions from her pupils. "There's no way to tell how much damage was done," he hissed when he peeled back the bandage. The gash in her head looked downright painful, "unless you get her to the hospital for tests. And this needs to be sewn up."

Kenneth tapped his foot impatiently, thinking. He looked between Elizabeth, Sam, and Dr. Ed. Ed looked quite serious about Elizabeth needing to go to the hospital, and Elizabeth just looked bruised and hurt. "Do you have what you need to sew her up?" he finally asked.

"What?" Ed shook his head. "I don't have anaesthesia—"

"She'll be fine," Kenneth said. "Just sew her up."

He left Ed in the room with Elizabeth and Samantha. "I—I don't think this is such a good idea," Ed muttered quietly.

"If you don't do it, he might shoot you," Elizabeth pointed out. She knew from the way Ed was acting that he was afraid of Kenneth. Add to that the fact that Kenneth had a temper and she could pretty much sum up Ed's fears.

Ed looked down at the girl and felt a stab of guilt. She was trying to look out for him while laying on a bed, looking like someone had played punching bag with her face. "It's going to hurt," he warned.

"I can take it," Elizabeth assured him, though she wasn't sure she could.

Ed threaded the needle. Looking around, he picked up a pillow. "You might want to grip this while I do this. It's really going to hurt."

Elizabeth tried not to cry, but she was pretty sure a few tears leaked out. She was just glad that Sam was asleep so she didn't have to hear or see her.

"Done," Ed said quietly. It had taken five stitches, and Elizabeth had barely made a sound. "So, what's your name?"

"Elizabeth," she gasped. "Elizabeth Monroe."

Ed patted her hand. He wished he could give her a lolly pop or a teddy bear, but it probably wouldn't help. "I'm Dr. Ed."

Elizabeth turned her head to look at him. "Better get going, Dr. Ed. Things to do, money to earn."

The guilty feeling increased as he stood up to go. "Bye, sweetheart. You were better than some of my grown patients. And that's _with_ the drugs."

"Good to know I'm so well-behaved," Elizabeth said, attempting a smile. It was too painful and ended up looking more like a grimace.

Ed exited the room and almost ran into Kenneth. "She should really be taken to the hospital. Any number of things could have happened in the fall, and—"

Kenneth silently handed him a thousand dollars in cash. "Not a word to anyone about this," he warned. "Goodbye, Dr. Howard."

The title sounded like a mockery as well as a cold dismissal and Ed's stomach clenched as he left the apartment. The boss was good to those that worked for him, treating them fairly in their criminal activities, but everyone knew he wouldn't stand for disobedience. That, combined with his temper, made Ed's heart go out to the girl.

But he couldn't go to the police. Kenneth would eat him alive.

**TBC…This is very brief just because. I'm too lazy to write anything else. Hmm, maybe I should combine those two sentences, but no. Anyway, Dr. Ed was the one Kenneth called. I think I might like Dr. Ed. Oh, yeah, and sorry if there are any mistakes. I usually read and reread and read the story again, along with having it beta-ed, but I only got it beta-ed. Maybe I'll read it tomorrow. I dunno.**


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